Smithfield Medicaid ambulance, transport services spending rises to $2,039,833 in 2024

Medicaid providers in Smithfield reported $2,039,833 in billings for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in 2024, as indicated by data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This figure represented a 0.5% rise compared with 2023, when providers submitted $2,030,174 in claims for the same services.

Medicaid is a government health insurance initiative managed by each state and funded through a partnership of federal and state resources. Its coverage extends to low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, making it one of the core components of the U.S. health care system.

Since Medicaid spending relies on taxpayer funding, shifts in billing amounts locally demonstrate how community health care resources are distributed.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” category covers a defined set of Medicaid-billed care assigned by service type, using standardized HCPCS and CPT code groups. This report categorized each billing code within a single service group based on uniform prefixes and numeric sequences, enabling clear tracking of related services and preventing double counting or ranking errors over time.

Although there was growth in Medicaid payments across numerous categories, fourth place in Smithfield for total Medicaid payments in 2024 went to Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies.

Statewide, this service category ranked eighth by total Medicaid spending in North Carolina in 2024.

From 2019 to 2024, Medicaid payments for this category in Smithfield grew by $1,747,274, a rise of 597.2%. Payments increased more sharply during periods like 2021 and 2022.

Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies billings were found throughout the city, but a large share was confined to a small number of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 27577 accounted for all $2,039,833 in calculated Medicaid payments in this category, with the top 1 ZIP code making up 100% of city spending for the year.

Within the category, most Medicaid payments were attributed to a small set of billing codes.

To compare growth, Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies rose 0.5% between 2024 and 2023, while overall Medicaid claim categories in the city saw a 1.4% change during that time.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal and state Medicaid spending combined totaled about $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023. That comprised about 18% of overall U.S. health expenditures and was a sharp increase from around $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This increase reflects an approximate 40% surge within several years, mainly due to expanded enrollment and greater utilization during and following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget bills signed during the Trump administration introduced major proposals for reduced Medicaid funding and restructuring of the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to decrease federal Medicaid funding by more than $1 trillion over the coming decade and implements benefit changes including work requirements and additional out-of-pocket expenses, which could impact coverage and funding for certain beneficiaries. As a result, more costs may shift to states, and federal Medicaid growth could be limited, despite continued coverage for 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.