Coram’s Medicaid spending on ambulance and transport services jumps 472.6% in 2024

Coram’s Medicaid providers billed $233,557 for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in 2024, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows. This was a 472.6% rise over 2023, when claims for the category totaled $40,791.

Medicaid, a public health insurance program managed by states and funded by both the federal and state governments, covers individuals and families with low income, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. It remains one of the most significant components of the U.S. health care system.

Changes in local Medicaid payment levels demonstrate how taxpayer-funded health care dollars are distributed at the community level.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” classification includes a range of Medicaid-billed services defined by the care provided using standardized HCPCS and CPT code sets. For this report, each billing code was grouped into a category by code prefix and numeric sequence, allowing for grouped service analysis, clear ranking, and avoiding double-counting.

Medicaid spending saw increases in multiple services, with Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies being the second-highest in Coram by payment amount in 2024.

Statewide in New York, this category ranked eighth in terms of total Medicaid payments during 2024.

Looking at the five years prior to 2024, Medicaid spending on Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in Coram increased by $233,557, or 0%. Specific intervals saw especially strong growth, most notably in 2023 and 2022.

Although payments for this category of care were made citywide, the majority of funds were highly concentrated by ZIP code. For 2024, the ZIP code 11727 accounted for $233,556—representing 100% of Medicaid payments in this group for Coram in the year.

Spending within this category was focused on a handful of individual billing codes.

Comparatively, Coram saw a 472.6% increase in Medicaid payments for the category in 2024 from 2023, while overall Medicaid categories in the city rose by 18.4% in the same timeframe.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total federal and state Medicaid spending reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, accounting for close to 18% of overall national health spending. This marks a steep increase from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This represents savings growth of approximately 40% over a short span, primarily due to more enrollees and elevated utilization tied to the pandemic period and afterward.

Recent federal budget measures under the Trump administration have proposed major reductions in federal Medicaid funding and program changes. For example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is estimated to cut more than $1 trillion from federal Medicaid spending during the next decade and brings in policies like work requirements and higher cost-sharing. These changes could decrease eligibility and funding for various beneficiaries by shifting more cost burdens to states, potentially slowing federal Medicaid support growth but keeping the program active for tens of millions.

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.