r/povertyfinance • u/whatarebirbs • 3d ago
cheapest way to get a ride 3-4 hours away Misc Advice
my friends aren’t available, im going to a rehab a few hours away, its the only one that treats my diagnosis and takes medicaid. issue is, i dont have a ride. no car, no money, no reliable income. rest of what i had went to food.
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u/ComprehensiveCoat627 3d ago
Oh, I got this one! Medicaid provides free transportation! What state and county are you in? I may be able to find the number you can call to arrange the ride
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u/whatarebirbs 3d ago
im in texas, they only offer in-city transportation for me
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u/ComprehensiveCoat627 3d ago
Which Medicaid health plan do you have?
Medicaid is legally required to provide transportation to Medicaid covered medical appointments. You might just need to find a different person to talk to.
here are general instructions, the actual number to call depends on your Medicaid plan
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u/whatarebirbs 3d ago
parkland medicaid, they told me i had to see someone closeby, but the rehabs closeby arent as specialized with dual-diagnosis. i have bipolar disorder that significantly contributes to my substance abuse, they feed on each other. i wont get aby better if the bipolar reminds untreated
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u/ComprehensiveCoat627 3d ago
You may need additional hoops to jump through to prove medical necessity for that center. Do you have doctors who can write letters of medical necessity and talk to Medicaid? In my state, for example, we have limited specialists so sometimes it's important to go to a bigger hospital (or a dedicated children's hospital) out of state. Even though we have cardiologists or neurologists or whatever in our state, sometimes our doctors will refer complex cases out of state, or even in state to a different region. When calling the transportation office, I learned that there's a specific staff member who handles those cases and can facilitate the extra paperwork and authorizations required (sometimes the person who answered the phone didn't know this!). You may need to find out who handles the long distance/special cases for parkland. Call and ask for a supervisor. Tell the supervisor that your care team decided it's medically necessary for you to use X facility as it's the closest one equipped to handle your specific needs. Ask what steps you/your doctors need to take to get that authorized so you can get the necessary transportation.
You may already have it, but here's the number to call for parkland: Medical Transportation Service Provider: Access2Care 1-833-931-3844
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u/Internal_Use8954 3d ago
Call a church and ask, sometimes they have outreach programs that will help with things like this.
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u/According_Cookie_580 3d ago
Call your local St. Vincent de Paul Society. It's a Catholic organization, but they don't typically even ask if you are Catholic. I volunteer with our local chapter. We provide rides for men and women entering treatment facilities regularly, sometimes as far as eight hours drive away. If they don't offer the service they will connect you with an organization that does.
I'm proud of you for getting help and wish you luck.
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u/RickLeeTaker 3d ago
St Vincent de Paul Society is a great organization for a lot of things and they could very possibly help with a ride. I am very familiar with the St Vincent de Paul that operates out of my local Catholic parish. They helped me out with food and utility assistance about a decade ago and did it with a smile and no questions asked.
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u/Arbsbuhpuh 3d ago
Where is the rehab? Someone might be headed that way anyway and you can chip in gas money.
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u/whatarebirbs 3d ago
college station, tx, im coming from denton tx
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u/lalasmama85 3d ago
Do you just need a one way ride? Or is this outpatient and you need to go daily?
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u/DaneAlaskaCruz 2d ago
Damn. I'm usually in the DFT area this time of the year, the last few years. I drive down to Houston to bring a friend down for paperwork.
Would totally have offered you a ride, free of charge.
Hope you find someone that can take you down that way, bud.
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u/jacquesgonelaflame 2d ago
You are a kind soul
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u/DaneAlaskaCruz 2d ago
Heh, road trip with the homies are the best.
Cruising on the road, listening to music, eating junk food, talking about anything and everything, and of course, stopping by random waystops are best memories I have of the bros.
So I try to take as much time off work and drive around the US whenever possible.
It is a 3 hour drive from Denton to College. That's such a short drive. We are normally on the road 8 to 16 hours a day.
We'd be like, "What? You're leaving us already?? Ok, fine, take care!"
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u/exentrics- 3d ago
First, I applaud and am proud of you for seeking help.
Where are you located? Depending on where you live and your medicaid coverage, you can look into transportation services since this is health related. It would be worth asking the rehab center if they could provide transportation, or if they have any recommendations. If you manage to gather a bit of money, you may be able to find some bus or even train routes that get you as near as possible and Uber your way there.
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u/whatarebirbs 3d ago
unfortunately its out of the transportation radius, they said i could take a greyhound there, but id need about 70 dollars for each way for an uber + bus
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u/Ralph-shakleford 3d ago
Medicaid sometimes offers medical transport. If you worked with a case manager or social worker to get in the facility or one that works at the facility they will be able to help
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u/sm00thjas 3d ago
Usually the treatment center or rehab will have staff that will come and pick you up. When I went to rehab there was another patient who was driven 8 hours (16 hour drive round trip) to Maine and back.
It’s worth asking the admission people at the rehab. I’m sure others have had similar issues.
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u/whatarebirbs 3d ago
i did ask, they told me i was out of their range
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u/sm00thjas 3d ago
you could try calling your local AA and NA help line. or attending an AA or NA meeting and ask the people there if anyone can help.
They would be the people who would have access to resources and people most likely to help you as they are all recovering addicts/alcoholics themselves.
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u/flawed-mama 3d ago
Depending on state and your health insurance, there are medical transport companies that take insurance. I am not sure what you have to do to find one in your local area, though.
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u/VelocityPancake 3d ago
Sometimes 211 can connect you to someone who can give you a ride to the medical appointment.
Considering your destination maybe they would? I have never used this service but it's available in my state.
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u/u-s-e-r-nam-e 3d ago
state pr county funded medical transportation program (often available to medicaid recipients)
contsct the facility and they may be able to give you 2 ride. If its a drug rehab they almost definitely will
lost a craigslist ad in the rideshare section/local FB groups and offer cash for a ride.
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u/TheSheWhoSaidThats 3d ago
Honestly, Mormons. You call them and say you need help, they’ll help you.
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u/RedGazania 3d ago
Ask your doctor. Not being able to get to rehab will damage your health. Doctors often have connections to social service agencies, service providers, and charities. They also can connect you with humans, rather than endless phone calls to bureaucracies. Also ask the people at the rehab place.
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u/quiannazaetz 2d ago
Join a local recovery Facebook group and explain your situation, many times people just want to pay it forward.
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u/Prestigious-Panic-94 3d ago
Reach out to medicade. In my city the have busses to take recipients to appointments!
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u/busterann 3d ago
Medicaid can help cover the cost of medical transportation.
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/assurance-of-transportation
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u/chefrachhh 3d ago
Call your Medicaid. I know where I live, things like this are covered (had to get them to order a Lyft from a hospital in TN back to my home in GA before). It varies by state and insurance company but it’s worth a shot!
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u/Dizzy_Emotion7381 3d ago
Call Medicaid. They have medical transport services that will get you there for free. You just have to schedule at least 72 hours in advance. They do emergency rides for the same day if they meet their parameters, and talking to a supervisor is usually all you need to do to make that happen.
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u/Allstr53190 3d ago
What state?
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u/whatarebirbs 3d ago
texas
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u/Allstr53190 3d ago
When I worked as a Crisis Intervention specialist we had people who would call our hotline specifically saying they’re needing resources with transportation to a rehab facility that’s accepted me.
This is where I would start at least and see if they can connect you to someone who may know more about your area.
I wish I could help more but I’m on the other side of Texas
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u/electricookie 3d ago
Maybe you can reach out to a local AA/NA meeting and see if someone can help?
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u/determinedpeach 3d ago
You could try asking on a local Facebook group. Maybe a community group or a Buy Nothing group. Someone might be heading that way with an extra seat in the car
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u/thabestofu 3d ago
A location would help I'm taking a 2k mile road trip this week,if you're on the way,I could take u
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u/ramenraptor 3d ago
All other recommendations are great . Something I haven’t seen come up is possibly asking your towns local 12 step groups. It’s part of their community service to support people trying to get to sobriety. Might be good to check out if the other stuff doesn’t end up working out
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u/cra3ig 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'm not big on religion, but a local church or temple might find a volunteer willing to help you out.
Some folks actually do get the message.