Medicaid providers in Arkadelphia reported $220,964 in claims for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in 2024, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This amount reflects a 21.9% increase from 2023, when the total came to $181,320 for the same category.
Medicaid, a public insurance program sponsored by states and funded in partnership by federal and state governments, provides coverage to low-income residents, elderly individuals, children, and those living with disabilities. It is among the largest components of the U.S. health care system.
With Medicaid funded by taxpayers, shifts in local Medicaid billing can provide insight into how government health care resources are spent within a community.
The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” category encompasses a standardized set of Medicaid services based on groupings within HCPCS and CPT codes. The analysis matched each billing code to one service category, enabling similar services to be compared together without overlap and to maintain accurate year-over-year comparisons.
Medicaid costs increased across several service categories during the year, with Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranking sixth by total payment amount in Arkadelphia in 2024.
Statewide, the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category placed seventh among Medicaid service categories for total payments in Arkansas in 2024.
In the five years ahead of 2024, Arkadelphia’s Medicaid spending on Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies rose by $8,332, or 3.6%. Higher year-over-year increases occurred in certain years, specifically in 2021 and 2022.
Though spending for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies occurred citywide, it was centered in a small group of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 71923 accounted for the full $220,964 spent—comprising 100% of Medicaid payments in this category within Arkadelphia for the year.
Spending under this service group was also focused among a handful of specific Medicaid billing codes.
For reference, local Medicaid spending in this transport category increased by 21.9% between 2024 and 2023, compared to a 19.2% rise across all Medicaid service categories in Arkadelphia in the same timeframe.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the combination of federal and state Medicaid spending totaled about $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, representing some 18% of overall national health expenditures. That reflects a substantial increase from about $613.5 billion in 2019 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This uptick represents growth of nearly 40% in a few years, largely attributed to higher enrollment and utilization during and after the pandemic.
Recent federal budget actions taken during the Trump administration included new proposals to decrease the federal contribution for Medicaid and to reorganize its funding structure. For example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is forecast to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the coming decade and adds policies such as work requirements and increased cost-sharing, which could impact coverage and federal funding levels for certain Medicaid recipients. These reforms are likely to increase the responsibilities of state governments and limit federal funding growth, even as Medicaid remains a critical insurer for tens of millions in the U.S.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $229,295 | -9.5% |
| 2021 | $252,462 | 10.1% |
| 2022 | $237,693 | -5.8% |
| 2023 | $181,320 | -23.7% |
| 2024 | $220,964 | 21.9% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $1,007,675 | 33.3% |
| 2 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $553,289 | 18.3% |
| 3 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $417,024 | 13.8% |
| 4 | Evaluation and Management | $271,070 | 9% |
| 5 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $247,762 | 8.2% |
| 6 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $220,964 | 7.3% |
| 7 | Dental Services | $96,644 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Radiology Procedures | $93,565 | 3.1% |
| 9 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $56,782 | 1.9% |
| 10 | Durable Medical Equipment | $36,373 | 1.2% |
| 11 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $9,847 | 0.3% |
| 12 | Surgery | $5,610 | 0.2% |
| 13 | Hearing Services | $4,207 | 0.1% |
| 14 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $1,739 | 0.1% |
| 15 | Procedures / Professional Services | $0 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0425 | Ground mileage | $126,386 | 21 |
| A0427 | Als1-emergency | $57,413 | 11 |
| A0426 | Als 1 | $21,989 | 7 |
| A0428 | Bls | $15,174 | 8 |
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.