Will TRICARE For Life (TFL) and Medicare cover ambulance trips?
Medicare pays for limited ambulance services. If you are transported to a hospital or skilled nursing facility (SNF), ambulance services are covered only if transportation in any other vehicle could endanger your health. If the care you need is not available locally, Medicare will help pay for ambulance transportation to the closest facility outside your local area for the required care. If you choose to go to another facility farther away, Medicare payment is based on how much it would cost to go to the closer facility.
All ambulance suppliers must accept Medicare. Medicare does not pay for ambulance transportation to a doctor's office. If Medicare covers your ambulance trip, Medicare will pay 80% of the Medicare-approved amount.
TRICARE will pay for ambulance trips only when medically necessary. It must be needed for a medical condition that is covered by TRICARE. TRICARE will share the cost of an ambulance for transfers between any two points determined to be medically necessary for the covered medical condition, such as from home to hospital, or between hospitals.
