Under a new policy, patients registered under Medicaid in Arizona can now use Lyft to get to their health care appointments.

As of May 1, ride-hailing companies were allowed to register under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), as non-emergency medical transportation providers, becoming the first Medicaid program in the country to do this.

"This is a significant step forward in medical transportation services and we look forward to seeing its positive impact," AHCCCS Director Jami Snyder said in a statement.

The process to request transportation has not changed. AHCCCS members can continue to contact their health care plan to request service, according a press release from AHCCCS, the state agency that administers the Medicaid program in Arizona.

From there, the health care plan or a transportation broker will access the member's need and see if a ride-hailing option such as Lyft fits that need and order a ride accordingly.

Ride-hailing companies may drive Medicaid members who do not require personal assistance during medically necessary transportation. The medically necessary, but non-emergency transportation service is covered for AHCCCS members.

Lyft announced their approval for the program on Wednesday.

"Too many Americans are confronted with barriers when they need to see a physician, and without adequate access, this causes missed appointments, delayed diagnoses and often worsening of existing health conditions," Lyft said in a statement. "But, states across the country, beginning with Arizona, are paving the way by providing ride sharing as a transportation solution in their Medicaid programs."

As of November 2018, 21% of Arizona's population was covered by Medicaid.

Officials State officials hope the new policy will provide more transportation options for Medicare recipients.

"Adding ride share companies as providers of non-emergency medical transportation can add flexibility to the health care delivery system and increase transportation options for Medicaid members," AHCCCS said in a statement.

Lyft already has history with ride-hailing for patients in Arizona, partnering with the Medical Transportation Brokerage of Arizona, according to Lyft's statement.

Uber currently is working to get approved to drive Medicaid members as part of this Arizona policy as well.

"We are definitely in the process and have been working with the state," said Dan Trigub, Head of Uber Health. "This is core to our work at Uber Health and this partnership is critical to us as well."

Uber Health is a branch of Uber that provides medical transportation and has partnerships with health systems and hospitals around the country.

"We're going to be able to leverage the Uber Health platform to help elderly, low-income and at-risk populations in Arizona, and that's our Medicaid population in particular," Trigub said. The new policy is "going to make it easier for those demographics to get access to Uber when it comes to non-emergency medical transportation," he added.

Texas and Florida also approved a similar policy, and Lyft and Uber, once approved, plan to expand to those states next.