Medicaid spending for ambulance and transport services in Elma jumps 56.6% in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Elma sought $78,426 in reimbursements for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This figure reflects an increase of 56.6% compared to 2023, when claims for these services totaled $50,095.

Medicaid, a public health insurance initiative administered by the states with both state and federal funding, serves low-income families and individuals, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, making it a significant component of the nation’s health system. More information on funding is available at the Commonwealth Fund.

Since taxpayer funds support Medicaid payments, shifts in local spending highlight how healthcare resources are allocated in each community.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” service group encompasses Medicaid-billed care identified by standardized HCPCS and CPT coding. In this report, each billing code fits into a single service category using designated code prefixes and number ranges, which helps compare similar services while preventing duplication and maintaining consistent rankings across years.

Despite widespread increases in Medicaid expenditures across service groups, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked as the eighth-highest in Elma for total Medicaid dollars in 2024.

Statewide, the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies service type was the seventh-largest by payment total in 2024.

From five years before 2024, Elma saw Medicaid payments in this category rise by $23,457, or 23%. Notable surges were observed during specific periods, particularly in 2021 and 2022.

This spending was not uniform; it was primarily concentrated in certain ZIP codes. In 2024, all Medicaid payments for this service category in Elma, totaling $78,426, were submitted from ZIP code 98541, which represented 100% of related claims.

Within the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies sector, a small collection of billing codes accounted for most Medicaid reimbursement.

Comparatively, Medicaid payments for this category in Elma increased by 56.6% between 2024 and 2023, while all Medicaid claim categories in the city reported a 7.9% change over the same period.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid spending totaled about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, accounting for about 18% of U.S. health expenditures, up from $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This represents an estimated 40% increase over a few years, fueled largely by expanded Medicaid enrollment and greater service use during and following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget measures introduced under the Trump administration have included major proposals to decrease federal Medicaid support and alter the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to cut federal Medicaid expenditure by more than $1 trillion over the coming decade and sets new policies like work requirements and raised cost-sharing, which may reduce benefits and funding for some enrollees. These changes may transfer additional financial obligation to states and restrict the expansion of federal Medicaid funding, even as the program continues to serve millions nationwide.

Note: HCPCS codes are shown for context within the category. Category totals and rankings in this article are based on standardized service groupings rather than individual billing codes.

Information in this article was obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The source data can be found here.