Sullivan Medicaid ambulance and transport payments reach $5.1 million in 2024

Sullivan Medicaid providers billed $5,059,036 for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in 2024, based on figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This represents a 2.9% rise from 2023, when claims for these services totaled $4,917,215.

Medicaid is a state-administered public health insurance program that receives joint funding from federal and state governments. It serves low-income residents, families, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities, making it a core component of the U.S. health care system.

As Medicaid payments use taxpayer dollars, shifts in local billing highlight how public health care spending is distributed in the community.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” grouping includes services billed under Medicaid that are classified by care type, using standardized HCPCS and CPT code sets. Billing codes were mapped to a single service group using consistent code ranges and prefixes for this analysis, which enabled categories to be analyzed together without duplication, preserving accuracy in year-to-year comparisons.

Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies led all categories in total Medicaid payments in Sullivan in 2024, amid overall spending growth in several service groups.

At the state level in Missouri, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked third for total Medicaid payments in 2024.

From 2019 through 2024, Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in Sullivan increased by $1,964,779, or 63.5%. Some years, such as 2021 and 2022, saw especially pronounced annual growth in payments for these services.

Although services in this category were provided throughout Sullivan, Medicaid payments were mainly concentrated in specific ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 63080 accounted for $5,059,035, representing the entirety of citywide Medicaid payments in this group during the year.

Medicaid payments within the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies group were focused on a small set of billing codes.

Comparatively, Sullivan’s Medicaid payments for this category rose 2.9% from 2023 to 2024, while all claim categories in the city averaged a 3.9% change during that period.

Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show total federal and state Medicaid spending approached $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, comprising about 18% of national health expenditures. That is an increase from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This marks an estimated 40% growth over several years, attributed largely to greater enrollment and increased service use during and after the pandemic.

Recent federal budget measures enacted under the Trump administration proposed significant federal Medicaid funding reductions and program restructuring. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid funding by over $1 trillion over the next decade. The legislation includes provisions such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing, which may result in reduced coverage and funding for certain recipients. These adjustments are likely to increase the financial responsibility for states and limit federal Medicaid growth, even as the program continues to serve millions.

Note: HCPCS codes are presented for context within the group. This article’s category totals and rankings are based on standard service groups, not individual codes.

The information in this article is sourced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Access the source data here.