MOUNT VERNON — Transportation can be a barrier for low-income individuals seeking health care.
Knox County Job & Family Services oversees several programs that help Medicaid individuals access the care they need.
“We are required as a county to select transportation that’s the most cost-effective, suitable for individual needs and has timely access,” Brandy Booth, workforce development administrator for KCJFS, told county commissioners on Thursday.
Local options include public transit, gas vouchers, and a pending contract with a private transportation provider. Federal money funneled through the Ohio Department of Medicaid pays for the programs.
The NET program (NonEmergency Medical Transportation) has not yielded as much reimbursement locally as in other counties.
Knox County has 12,076 people enrolled in the Medicaid program. Of that number, 8% utilize NET transportation.
“What that tells us is that the remaining folks who are receiving Medicaid are self-sufficient in their transportation getting to their medical appointments,” Booth said.
“Really, self-sufficiency is what we are all about, so that does make us happy to know that.”
Knox County Transit Director Bethany Celmar has previously noted that Muskingum and Gurnsey counties earn $1 million monthly.
In contrast, KCT’s NET trips average $28,000 a month.
Booth said it is a matter of demographics.
“Nineteen percent of our total population in the county is on Medicaid. Both Muskingum and Guernsey counties each have about 30% of their total populations receiving Medicaid,” she said.
Booth said it is significant that both counties are designated Appalachian counties.
“Typically Appalachian counties have populations that have less resources and fewer access to transportation, so they need more services than other counties,” she said.
By the numbers
Booth said Medicaid eligibility does not necessarily mean NET eligibility. Some population groups, primarily older adults with Medicare crossover, are not eligible for NET.
Mobility management is working to secure funding for that population of folks who need services.
The NET program added 289 users in 2024 for a current enrollment of 907.
Of those 907, 273 are public transit riders, and 369 receive gas voucher reimbursements — 265 are approved to use whichever service suits their needs.
The state’s $47 million 2024 budget for NET serves the entire state.
Regarding expenses, Muskingum County spent about $2.2 million on public transit for NET and $52,000 on private transportation.
Guernsey County spent $1.3 million in 2024 on public transit for NET.
“I think it’s also important to note that those two counties have a combined transit system, so those dollars are going to one entity,” Booth said. “They are actually providing services, I believe, for three counties.”
Knox County spent $188,000 on public transit and about $49,000 in gas voucher reimbursements ($237,000 total).
Booth noted that public transit users face challenges such as the 30-minute pickup window, multiple stops, and extended transportation times.
“That can be a hardship for people with chronic conditions like kidney dialysis or cancer treatments, so we see a lot more people using the gas voucher reimbursements because they have vehicles.”
Marketing the NET program
KCJFS does regular presentations to Knox Community Hospital staff, Knox Public Health staff, and the Knox County Task Force for older adults.
KCJFS also uses social media and radio promotions with the mobility management group.”
“We work very closely with BHP (Behavioral Healthcare Partners), Riverside Recovery, and the Freedom Center. All Medicaid clients working with them are referred to us to get access to the NET program,” she said.
Booth said the promotion is working.
“In 2024, we added 289 net users. Seventy-eight of them were public transit, 123 were added to the gas voucher program, and 88 were enrolled to use either of those services,” she said.
Booth said she did not see where KCJFS could do more to generate additional NET revenue, but she welcomed ideas and suggestions.
“I think that just the demographics are different, and we have a large population of people who have their own cars,” she said.
Both said that eliminating the gas vouchers would not increase NET riders.
“I think we would see people just not utilizing the service and maybe not even going to appointments. So it would have an adverse reaction which I don’t think it would be in the best interest of the community and the people that we serve.”
Booth said Muskingum and Guernsey’s monthly income of $1 million through NET is exaggerated, as that would account for a large part of the state’s budget.
County Administrator Jason Booth appreciated the information because the county general fund subsidizes the county’s public transit.
“We just want to make sure we weren’t missing out on federal funding that was available to help fund transit and get that off of the county general fund,” he said.
“It sounds like at this point there’s not.”