In 2024, Medicaid providers in New Orleans reported $10,488,941 in billed services under the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category, figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database show. This was a gain of 14.6% over 2023, when claims for this category totaled $9,149,988.
Medicaid serves as a publicly funded health insurance program, jointly financed by state and federal governments. It offers coverage to low-income people and families, children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, making it a significant element within the U.S. health care system.
Since taxpayer dollars support Medicaid payments, fluctuations in billing demonstrate how local public health care resources are distributed across the area.
The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” designation covers grouped Medicaid-billed services, individually specified by uniform HCPCS and CPT code sets. For this analysis, each code was assigned to one category using set code prefixes and numeric intervals, facilitating consistent year-to-year comparisons while reducing the risk of double counting.
Though Medicaid spending rose across various service groups, the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category was number six for total Medicaid spending in New Orleans in 2024.
Statewide, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked fifth in Louisiana by total Medicaid reimbursed payments in 2024.
During the five years through 2024, New Orleans Medicaid payments tied to the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category expanded by $5,078,326—a 93.9% rise. Some periods saw quicker acceleration in spending, with marked increases taking place in both 2023 and 2022.
While service-specific Medicaid payments were distributed across New Orleans, the majority of payments concentrated within a few ZIP codes. In 2024, leading ZIP codes included 70125 at $10,023,257, 70126 with $310,252, and 70127 at $71,335. These 3 ZIP codes made up 99.2% of all Medicaid spending in this group within the city for the year.
A small number of individual billing codes accounted for most Medicaid payments in this service category.
Medicaid payments linked to the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies group in New Orleans grew by 14.6% between 2024 and 2023, while citywide payments across every Medicaid claim group rose 15.8% in the same timeframe.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid outlays hit roughly $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, representing close to 18% of America’s health spending—a significant climb from around $613.5 billion in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This jump translates to about 40% growth within several years, mostly fueled by expanded enrollment and greater healthcare use during and after the pandemic era.
Federal legislation in the Trump era included measures to scale back Medicaid funding and change the structure of the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, is forecast to lower federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over 10 years and to introduce policies such as extra work requirements and greater cost-sharing, potentially reducing overall coverage and funding for certain recipients. These planned changes would place additional financial responsibilities on states and are set to curb the federal government’s funding expansion, even though Medicaid continues to cover tens of millions nationwide.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $5,410,614 | -15.8% |
| 2021 | $5,235,994 | -3.2% |
| 2022 | $4,979,807 | -4.9% |
| 2023 | $9,149,988 | 83.7% |
| 2024 | $10,488,940 | 14.6% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evaluation and Management | $112,138,824 | 39% |
| 2 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $41,087,039 | 14.3% |
| 3 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $40,521,200 | 14.1% |
| 4 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $38,035,424 | 13.2% |
| 5 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $13,917,361 | 4.8% |
| 6 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $10,488,940 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $9,221,685 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Radiology Procedures | $7,416,347 | 2.6% |
| 9 | Surgery | $6,026,268 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Dental Services | $2,953,322 | 1% |
| 11 | Enteral and Parenteral Therapy | $1,333,334 | 0.5% |
| 12 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $1,055,933 | 0.4% |
| 13 | Procedures / Professional Services | $880,144 | 0.3% |
| 14 | Anesthesia | $844,821 | 0.3% |
| 15 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $508,554 | 0.2% |
| 16 | Durable Medical Equipment | $507,585 | 0.2% |
| 17 | Vision Services | $291,642 | 0.1% |
| 18 | Orthotic Procedures and services | $183,170 | 0.1% |
| 19 | Administrative, Miscellaneous and Investigational | $143,495 | <0.1% |
| 20 | Temporary Codes | $82,228 | <0.1% |
| 21 | Durable medical equipment (DME) Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) | $42,525 | <0.1% |
| 22 | Outpatient PPS | $17,080 | <0.1% |
| 23 | Prosthetic Procedures | $0 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0427 | Als1-emergency | $6,769,332 | 12 |
| A0429 | Bls-emergency | $2,075,698 | 12 |
| A0425 | Ground mileage | $596,858 | 12 |
| A0130 | Noner transport wheelch van | $465,683 | 64 |
| A0394 | Als iv drug therapy supplies | $213,835 | 12 |
| A0398 | Als routine disposble suppls | $195,160 | 12 |
| A0382 | Basic support routine suppls | $113,220 | 12 |
| A0422 | Ambulance 02 life sustaining | $43,595 | 12 |
| A0433 | Als 2 | $14,544 | 1 |
| A0998 | Ambulance response/treatment | $1,010 | 12 |
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.
