Non-Emergency Medical Insurance

Your search for a professional insurance agency that knows the ins-and-outs of Non-Emergency Medical Insurance (commonly referred to as NEMT or Paratransit) is over! American Business Insurance Services has been writing this class of business for over 35 years. Experience with NEMT coverage cannot be understated when you consider the vast requirements that apply to this type of policy.

There is a laundry list of questions that insurance companies ask to make sure they are quoting your business properly. Below is a list of common questions you should be prepared to answer in the preliminary quoting stages:

• Are the majority of your trips for passengers that are ambulatory or non-ambulatory?
• Do you contract with LogistiCare or other contract providers with strict insurance requirements?
• Do your vehicles have lifts or ramps?
• Do your vehicles include backup cameras so your drivers can see whether or not someone in a low wheelchair is behind the vehicle when backing?

These questions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to transporting ambulatory or non-ambulatory passengers for a fee. But, don’t worry - it’s not your job to make sure your covered correctly, it’s ours! Sit back and let us do the worrying and the work for you!

Coverage Requirements for Paratransit Companies

It's crucial to know exactly what's in your NEMT coverage contract. We examine the contract providers and the requirements that they have. For example, let's look at LogistiCare.

• $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit of Auto Liability Coverage
• Hired & Non-Owned Coverage (Symbols 2,8,9)
• Loading & Unloading Coverage
• General Liability Coverage at $1,000,000 per incident $2,000,000 Aggregate
• Sexual Abuse and Molestation Coverage (limits can vary by location)

There are other requirements in addition to the ones listed above. However, if you are missing any of those items on your insurance policy, LogistiCare will suspend your account. Many large Non-Emergency fleets have a long list of additional interests that have different insurance requirements.

Typically, we will ask for a copy of the provider insurance section of the contract to make absolutely sure that we’ve gotten your coverage written correctly. American Logistics, SoutheastTrans and other NEMT providers have extremely particular requirements for coverage to protect them. Why is this? One answer: safety.

Safety

American Business Insurance Services has specialized in livery coverage for a long time. This class includes Taxicab, Limousine & Non-Emergency Medical. Basically, livery just means that you are transporting someone for a fee.

Busses are another example. Out of these lines of business that we’ve written for so long, NEMT appears to have the worst accidents. Business owners in this class tend to be people who truly care about others. They want to run a business that makes a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate than themselves. Giving the elderly a ride to the store or a doctor appointments is a good deed no matter how you slice it. However, because of the general frailty of NEMT passengers, safety programs are a must.

Probably one of the more common claims we see with Paratransit is “backing”. You are transporting your passenger to a medical facility, then you back up to the wheelchair ramp to can unload your non-ambulatory passenger. Most vans have no back window. If they do - it’s hard to see out of because there is a passenger, equipment, etc. Unfortunately, your driver doesn’t see that there is another wheelchair patient behind the van and accidentally hits them. This is just one example of many types of claims we see for this type of insurance.

Your agent / broker should be asking you all kinds of questions about your safety program. Regular safety meetings with the drivers, driver training, driver background checks, cameras, G.P.S. devices in the vehicles, loading and unloading procedures, are only a few of the details that need to be addressed.

How Much Does Non-Emergency Medical Insurance Cost?

This is typically the first and most frequent question we get when quoting public auto or any other type of insurance policy. No sense in wasting time with an agent who can’t get a better rate than you already have. Depending on where you operate, we may be able to give you an indication based on the premiums of other similar risks in this area.

We have a system that allows us to research other accounts in your area that have similar coverage limits to you. We can usually ball-park based on this data. We’ve had accounts in rural Kentucky with annual rates as low as $800 per car. This isn't a typical rate, but it does happen. The best thing to do is provide all the information you can to us so we can shop your application out to all of our carriers. Then we do our thing and get back to you with a firm quote that makes sense for you. We have flexible financing options and will always work with you the best we can to make your coverage as affordable as possible.

Policy Management

Lastly, we just have to toot our own horn about our agency portal. Most agencies take days or even weeks to process a vehicle or driver change on your Paratransit policy. You will love our user friendly, online customer portal. We use a state-of-the-art agency portal that allows you to manage your NEMT business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Policy changes can be made online any time - day or night. Which is essential in running a business that also operates 24/7.

Typically, most changes are reviewed and processed same day by carrier if submitted during regular business hours. In addition to being able to process changes whenever you want, you can also print out Certificates of Insurance and Auto Identification Cards. You can also view and manage the billing of your policy at all times. While an online management system is standard for multi-billion-dollar companies like Progressive & Allstate, we built our system with the Livery business in mind. We are very proud of how it makes our clients lives easier. We know you’re usually on the road, and the ability to make changes on your cell phone is priceless!