According to a recently released Lyft blog, rideshare services are helping improve access to preventative care, reduce the strain on hospital emergency departments, and provide an improved overall healthcare experience for Medicaid beneficiaries.

The analysis looked at three Lyft healthcare partners, including AmeriHealth Caritas DC, Centene, and Amerigroup Tennessee. AmeriHealth Caritas DC is a Medicaid plan serving more than 100,000 residents in the Washington D.C. area and Centene serves underserved populations.

As Uber and California continue to battle over the employment status of rideshare drivers, Uber has released a poll showing that their drivers “overwhelmingly support” being classified as independent contractors.

The survey was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group and GS Strategy Group. According to The Hill, the survey found that 82 percent of drivers support their independent contractor status. Only 15 percent state they would prefer to receive traditional employment status and benefits.

As rideshare companies Lyft and Uber continue their legal battle with the state of California regarding employee classification, the turmoil is having an impact on those who utilize rideshare services.

According to Voice of OC, Orange County transportation officials got rid of the underutilized public bus service in San Clemente. They replaced the public service with private rideshare app services like Lyft. With Uber and Lyft threatening to shut down in California on August 20, those in the San Clemente area were concerned about how they would get around.

In an effort to continue to meet demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, Uber has launched a prescription service in Seattle. The goal is to meet the needs of those who are unable to leave their homes amid the pandemic.

The service is being launched in collaboration with the prescription delivery startup NimbleRx. NimbleRx, originally based out of California, started being noticed for pairing pharmacies with delivery groups to offer same or next-day delivery. In the near future, the goal is to have an average wait time of 30 minutes or less to receive a prescription.

According to NPR, federal prosecutors have charged Uber’s former chief security officer Joe Sullivan with obstructing justice and concealing a felony. Sullivan is accused of covering up a massive 2016 data breach by arranging a $100,000 payoff to the hackers responsible for the attack. It’s estimated that personal data from 57 million Uber passengers and drivers was stolen.

According to the charges, Sullivan intentionally withheld the breach from regulators and failed to report it to law enforcement or the public: “Sullivan is being charged with a corporate cover-up and Sullivan is being charged with the payment of hush money to conceal something that should have been revealed.”