Eastville sees 30.2% rise in Medicaid spending for ambulance and transport services in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Eastville submitted $42,824 in claims for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. That total marks a 30.2% uptick from 2023, when providers filed $32,881 in claims for the same category of services.

Medicaid, administered by states and funded by both federal and state governments, provides coverage for low-income people, seniors, children and individuals with disabilities. The program is one of the largest components of the nation’s health care system.

Because Medicaid is financed with public funds, local billing changes reveal how communities allocate public health care spending.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” category encompasses Medicaid-billed services described by the type of care given, using standardized HCPCS and CPT groupings. For this study, codes were grouped into service categories using the same prefixes and numeric series, ensuring related services are evaluated collectively and that figures remain accurate without double counting.

Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies was the second-largest Medicaid spending category in Eastville for 2024, as multiple service lines saw increased payments.

Statewide, this service category was tenth in Virginia for total Medicaid payments in 2024.

Looking back five years from 2024, Eastville’s Medicaid payments for the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category climbed by $35,511, or 485.6%. The pace of growth was particularly robust in 2023 and 2020, with notable year-over-year gains.

The concentration of spending for this category in 2024 was largely limited to a small number of ZIP codes. That year, ZIP code 23347 accounted for all $42,824 spent on Medicaid payments classified as Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies, representing 100% of Eastville’s total for this category.

Most Medicaid spending in this group was also tied to only a handful of specific billing codes.

While Medicaid payments for the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category were up 30.2% from 2023 to 2024 in Eastville, total Medicaid claims citywide grew 47.1% during the same period.

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

That increase reflects roughly 40% growth in a few years, driven by higher enrollment and greater use of services during and following the pandemic.

Federal budget measures passed under the Trump administration have introduced major changes to Medicaid, including provisions to reduce federal contributions and update program rules. One such law, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to cut over $1 trillion in Medicaid spending over the coming decade and create requirements like work mandates and increased cost-sharing. These changes are forecast to transfer more spending responsibility to states and limit federal Medicaid growth, while still providing coverage to millions of Americans.

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.