Transportation to Medical Appointments

If you need help getting to your doctor’s appointments or radiation treatment and are traveling from within Chicagoland, below are transportation options. If you are traveling from further or need more than 3 trips in a row, please contact your doctor’s office and ask to speak with a social worker.

Medicaid Managed Care plans, call the number on the back of your card at least 3 days in advance:

Blue Cross Community Health Plans (844) 544-1393
Cigna HealthSpring (855) 300-9126
Community Care Alliance of Illinois (866) 871-2305
CountyCare (630) 403-3210
Illinicare (866) 913-1265
Meridian Health (866) 796-1165
Molina HealthCare (844) 644-6353
Nextlevel Health (833) 275-6547
WellCare/Harmony Health (877) 248-1338
Aetna Better Health (866) 913-1265
Illinois Medicaid, call First Transit as soon as possible, but at least 3 days in advance:
  • If you do not already have a transportation company, call First Transit (877-725-0569) for help finding a company. They will provide you with names of companies to call.
  • Once you have a company able to take you to your appointment, call First Transit (877-725-0569) back to get the trip approved. They will give you a reference number.
  • Call the transportation company back with the reference number from First Transit and confirm the trip.
Medicare or Private Insurance (through a job or ACA Marketplace), apply for PACE/RTA as soon as possible:
  • Call 312-663-4357 to request an application and to schedule an interview for your transportation services. Let them know if you are in treatment for a serious illness as this will expedite the process.
  • Once you have attended the interview and an ID number is assigned to you, call PACE to set up rides at least 24 hours before your appointment.
  • Rides cost $3 each way and are considered “curb-to-curb” meaning you meet them outside of your pick-up location and they drop you off outside the hospital or doctor’s office.

Request public transportation passes (CTA and Pace) 2 weeks before your appointment by calling Member Services at 312-864-8200/ 855-444-1661 (toll-free)/ 711 (TDD/TTY).

Information Resources on this page where collected from University of Chicago, North Western University, advocate hospitals, cook county and other local providers.