Northern Cambria Medicaid payments for ambulance, transport services rise to $172,406 in 2024

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database, Medicaid providers in Northern Cambria submitted $172,406 in claims for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in 2024. This figure represents a 22.5% jump from 2023, when the amount was $140,779 for the same service category.

Medicaid, the public health insurance initiative operated by the states and jointly financed by federal and state governments, covers individuals and families with lower incomes, seniors, children and people with disabilities. As one of the country’s largest health care programs, it supports a significant share of the population.

Since Medicaid is taxpayer funded, shifts in local billing amounts provide insight into the distribution of public health care spending within local communities.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” grouping includes Medicaid services identified by standardized HCPCS and CPT codes. The analysis assigned billing codes to single service groups by consistent code prefixes and numeric clusters, enabling assessment of similar service types without duplicating or misranking over time.

Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked as the city’s second-largest Medicaid expenditure category in 2024 even as overall Medicaid spending increased across several areas.

Statewide, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked sixth for total Medicaid payments in Pennsylvania that year.

In the five years before 2024, Medicaid outlays tied to Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in Northern Cambria grew by $155,813—an increase of 939%. The spending trend included especially strong increases in 2021 and 2023.

Although funds for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies were distributed across Northern Cambria, spending remained concentrated in a small number of ZIP codes. For 2024, ZIP code 15714 accounted for the entire $172,406 in Medicaid payments related to this service, meaning the top ZIP code represented 100% of such outlays within the city that year.

Within this service group, the bulk of Medicaid funds was focused on a few specific billing codes.

From 2023 to 2024, Medicaid payments in this category grew by 22.5% in Northern Cambria, while overall Medicaid claim payments in the city rose by 13% for the period.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal and state government Medicaid spending totaled approximately $871.7 billion during fiscal 2023, representing about 18% of all U.S. health expenditures. This is up sharply compared to roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The approximate 40% rise between 2019 and 2023 was largely driven by expanded enrollment and greater service use related to and following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget measures passing under the Trump administration included provisions designed to scale back federal Medicaid funding and modify the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is estimated to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over 10 years, and introduces new work requirements and increased cost-sharing. These policies could narrow Medicaid coverage and increase state responsibility for funding, potentially limiting federal contributions even as the program continues to support 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.