College Place Medicaid payments for ambulance, transport services total $14,578 in 2024

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows College Place Medicaid providers claimed $14,578 for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in 2024. This amount reflects a 3.8% uptick versus 2023, during which providers submitted $14,048 in claims for the same category.

Medicaid, a public health insurance initiative operated by the states with joint federal and state funding, serves low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and those with disabilities. It is among the largest segments of the U.S. health care system. More details can be found through the Commonwealth Fund.

Since Medicaid dollars are funded by taxpayers, local billing shifts document how a community’s public health care finances are distributed.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” classification represents a group of Medicaid-submitted services grouped by standardized HCPCS and CPT code ranges and prefixes. This approach allows aggregate analysis while maintaining accuracy by categorizing billing codes under a single group with no overlap for ranking purposes.

Although there was growth across several service types, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies represented the largest Medicaid payment category in College Place during 2024.

Statewide in Washington, this service grouping placed seventh in total Medicaid expenditures in 2024.

Analysis of the five years through 2024 shows Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in College Place increased by $1,953, a growth of 15.5%. Notable surges occurred during individual years such as 2023 and 2021, with higher year-over-year growth signaling acceleration at those points.

Spending by category was distributed through the city but generally centered in a small number of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 99324 comprised nearly all payments in this category, totaling $14,577. This ZIP code accounted for 100% of Medicaid ambulance- and transport-related payments in the city for the period.

The majority of payments within this service class also concentrated around a handful of individual billing codes.

Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies payments in College Place climbed 3.8% between 2024 and 2023—by comparison, overall Medicaid outlays for all service categories in the city shifted by 38.7% during the same interval.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data indicate joint state and federal Medicaid spending rose to approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, or about 18% of total U.S. health costs, an increase from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This rise marks nearly 40% spending growth over a few years, driven by greater enrollment and increased utilization stemming from and following the pandemic.

Recent federal legislative packages during the Trump administration included major suggestions to cut overall federal Medicaid funding and revamp the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is projected to trim over $1 trillion from federal Medicaid disbursements in the next decade and implement regulations like work requirements and higher cost-sharing, which may limit coverage and financing for some recipients. These adjustments could require states to shoulder more program expenses and limit the federal share’s expansion while Medicaid remains vital to 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.