For older individuals and those who have certain disabilities, arranging to get to doctor’s appointments or medical treatments can get tricky. Since they are unable to drive themselves or use public transportation, they depend on family members or caregivers to shuttle them back and forth. Much of the time, schedule conflicts get in the way of the people they depend on being available to provide those rides.
That’s where non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) comes into play. NEMT is a type of paid chauffeur service that provides comfortable transportation services for the elderly, injured and disabled that require more specialized accommodations than what can be provided by a taxi.
NEMT services have proven to be a lifesaver for busy families with members who need consistent rides during the work week and are quickly growing as more healthcare organizations provide lower income patients access to the service. With more small business NEMT providers and vehicles entering service to fill the growth in the sector, they will need to get well-acquainted with the insurance requirements each state requires for compliance.
NEMT insurance is a type of for-hire livery insurance that is specialized to cover those businesses that provide non-emergency medical transport for passengers with special needs. While insurance is important for any livery business, it’s absolutely essential for NEMT businesses to survive due to the delicate health of many of the passengers being transported. Any accident can lead to a major medical emergency, which places NEMT squarely in the ‘high risk’ category.
Most insurance underwriters will have a list of requirements for the operation of NEMT vehicles in order for them to be covered under their policies. These include the state of the vehicles (age, mileage, service record, seating capacity, etc.), age and driving record of hired drivers, the specialized features included for the benefit of passengers (wheelchair lifts, beds, etc.), and safety equipment and procedures in the case of emergency (fire extinguishers, defibrillators, etc.).
NEMT insurance typically comes with a bundle of various types of coverage – general liability, professional liability, auto liability and physical damage, worker’s comp, property, among others – and the prices vary depending on a variety of factors. With experienced insurance experts like S.W.A.N. insurance, you can gain access to a number of different discounts to the price point on your policies, which can save you tens of thousands of dollars per month on your overhead costs.
Working with S.W.A.N. also gives you the benefit of their expertise in the ever-evolving requirements for complying with state insurance regulations. These regulations change regularly and without much prior notice, so you can be unknowingly operating a non-compliant fleet of vehicles for months until an inspection slaps a major fee on your business.
Running an NEMT business provides an invaluable service to the community, but it can be hazardous if you’re not properly covered by the right policies. S.W.A.N. Insurance works with companies to provide the best policies at the best rates around, so you can focus on growing your business and increasing the quality of life for the members of the community who can’t reliably transport themselves.
