As 2025 comes to a close, payers are navigating a healthcare system under extraordinary pressure. Funding cuts, rising costs, and deteriorating public sentiment are straining every corner of Medicare and Medicaid. Across the ecosystem, the pain is acute and widespread:
• State administrators are grappling with significant budget cuts and increasingly complex program delivery (e.g., work requirements, dual-funded program structures, etc.)
• Medicare Advantage plans continue to struggle with rising costs and utilization, while Medicaid MCOs grapple with churn and market uncertainty.
• Providers face enormous pressure to reduce costs and absorb under- or non-insured reimbursement risk.
• Members continue to battle through chronic conditions with fewer points of care and rising healthcare costs.
The healthcare industry has long been known for its measured, incremental change. It was crystallized in 2025 that this approach no longer works. Multiple Medicare and Medicaid plans folded, and a tenured national player in the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) sector filed for bankruptcy. The challenges are undoubtedly tough, but as legacy healthcare buckles under its own weight, breakout innovation is beginning to flourish.
My hope is that this moment shines a light on a fundamental truth: Healthcare is essential. We must make it work. I believe 2026 will introduce a cohort of winners that can make it better.
SafeRide’s Vision
SafeRide solves a foundational challenge: ensuring patients can access life-sustaining care. The economics are clear: Supporting access to chemotherapy or dialysis is far less costly than emergency care when adherence fails. We now deliver 10+ million rides annually.
We believe in challenging the status quo, and our results reinforce that conviction. Today, SafeRide is a national, trusted partner to marquee payers. In 2025, we were named to the top 7 percent of the Inc. 5000 and ranked 84th on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. As we enter 2026, we remain committed to cost stewardship, performance, transparency, customization, and agility.
A Leader in Cost and Stewardship
NEMT is an essential but underfunded healthcare benefit, and payers need help reducing costs without compromising access. Simply put, that means ensuring the right member is getting the right ride at the right time. Some patients can safely use public transportation, mileage reimbursement, or rideshare services when permitted; others require wheelchair or stretcher assistance. By maximizing the use of appropriate low-cost modes, we preserve resources for those who truly need higher-acuity transportation.
Eligibility must also become simpler and more reliable. As states implement new work requirements and more members transition to dual-eligible programs, complexity will increase. SafeRide will continue advancing our business rules engine to ensure seamless, compliant access to benefits.
Finally, we will deepen partnerships with payers and state regulators to reduce waste and strengthen accountability. NEMT is a lifeline. When AI tools are layered on top of real-time data, they unlock unprecedented transparency by identifying duplicate rides, inconsistent mileage, after-hours anomalies, and unusual utilization patterns. Our waste-reduction programs have already helped participating clients reduce total spend by more than 10 percent.
Proven Performance and Transparency
Transparency is critical to improvement and innovation, yet it is historically lacking in NEMT. SafeRide’s proprietary platform provides validated, data-driven performance insights across fulfillment, on-time rates, member satisfaction, service center operations, and more. We deliver complete visibility through dashboards, shared reporting, and ongoing communication that is rooted in aligned goals.
Transparency fosters tangible outcomes. In 2025, SafeRide completed 9.9 million rides with a 99 percent fulfillment rate and delivered a 4.8+ out of 5-star experience for members. In 2026, we will push further.
Customization, Omnichannel Access and Agility
Payers need NEMT programs tailored to their populations—one-size-fits-all no longer works. SafeRide will continue to configure our platform and rules engine to meet each payer’s requirements, including mileage and ride limits, geographic constraints, modality approvals, service levels, and destination rules.
We are also reimagining access. The outdated call-center-only model is giving way to a modern, omnichannel approach that enables members, social workers, facilities, and care teams to initiate and manage transportation directly.
Our health plan partners consistently tell us their priority is improving the member experience and maximizing the impact of limited resources. Supporting them as a true partner, not just a vendor, is the real key to our success. We look forward to driving even more progress for members and clients in 2026.