Medicaid spending for ambulance and transport services in Vale rises 7.9% in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Vale submitted $206 in claims for the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This was a 7.9% rise from 2023, when the total billed for these services was $191.

Medicaid is a joint federal-state public health insurance program administered by the states and funded by both federal and state governments. Medicaid is a key part of the U.S. health system, covering low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities.

Because taxpayer dollars fund Medicaid payments, shifts in local claims show how public health care money is distributed in each community.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” category groups Medicaid services by care type, based on standardized HCPCS and CPT code ranges. Codes were assigned to a single service category, ensuring related codes are analyzed together while avoiding duplicates and maintaining consistent service rankings over time.

Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked first in Vale in total Medicaid payments during 2024, outpacing other categories as overall Medicaid spending grew across service types.

Statewide in Oregon, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies placed fifth by total Medicaid payments in 2024.

Looking at the five years preceding 2024, Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in Vale increased by $2,948, or 93.5%. There were spikes in spending growth in several years, with 2020 and 2022 marking significant year-over-year gains.

While usage for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies spanned Vale, payments in 2024 largely went to a small set of ZIP codes. ZIP code 97918 accounted for $206, making up 100.1% of all payments for this category in Vale for the period.

Most Medicaid payments within this category came from a limited number of specific billing codes.

For comparison, Vale’s Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies grew by 7.9% from 2023 to 2024, closely matching the 7.8% growth rate across all Medicaid claim categories in the city for the same time frame.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, nationwide Medicaid spending by federal and state governments was approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, representing around 18% of total U.S. health expenditures, and up significantly from about $613.5 billion in 2019, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This increase equates to about 40% growth over just a few years—driven principally by higher enrollment and service use during and after the pandemic years.

More recently, federal budget measures under the Trump administration have proposed major reductions to Medicaid funding and key structural shifts. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid outlays by over $1 trillion in the next decade and enacts provisions such as work requirements and increased cost-sharing, which could impact coverage and funding for certain groups. These changes may prompt states to take on more costs and limit further federal growth, even as Medicaid remains critical for millions across the country.

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.