Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program, the state’s answer to the federal mandate for states to provide free nonemergency medical transportation for Medicaid patients, could change for the worse, according to county officials, who will no longer administer the program, writes Michaelle Bond for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program is a coordinated shared-ride system used by roughly 55,000 people and has been described as a “national model” for efficiency.

Instead of allowing county governments to decide how to run the program, the state plans to turn over the keys to private brokers, each responsible for a region of the state. Counties and local transit providers were caught off guard by the change, which was part of the 2018-19 budget bill.

“None of us knew that it was in there until it was in there and passed,” said Chester County commissioner Kathi Cozzone, president of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

County officials say they have been excluded from the process of selecting the vendors of transportation.

“Frankly, I think that shows a lack of understanding of what local needs are and what our resources are,” said Cozzone.

Click here to read more about Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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