Flagstaff Medicaid providers billed a total of $12,848,678 in the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category for 2024, according to information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. That amount reflects a 5.1% rise from 2023, when claims reached $12,227,049 for the same service category.
Medicaid, a public health insurance program administered by states and financed by both federal and state sources, provides coverage for low-income groups, seniors, children, and those with disabilities, making it a key piece of the U.S. health care system.
Taxpayers fund Medicaid payments, so fluctuations in billing levels offer perspective on community health care spending allocation.
The Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category covers Medicaid-billed services based on specific care types, identified through standardized HCPCS and CPT code groups. Each billing code in this analysis is assigned to a single service group according to defined prefixes and ranges, allowing for analysis of similar services without overlap or duplication in historical rankings.
While Medicaid spending grew in multiple categories, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies stood as Flagstaff’s second largest Medicaid category by total payments in 2024.
At the Arizona state level, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies was the sixth highest Medicaid category by payments in 2024.
Between 2019 and 2024, Medicaid payments in Flagstaff tied to the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category grew by $123,949, or 1%. Growth rates varied, with notable year-on-year gains occurring in 2020 and 2023.
Although these payments spanned the city, amounts were concentrated within a few ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 86001 collected $12,497,704 and 86004 received $350,973 in Medicaid funds for the category, together making up 100% of local Medicaid spending in this group during the year.
A limited selection of individual billing codes saw the majority of Medicaid payments within the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies category.
For context, Medicaid payments connected to the Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies group grew by 5.1% in Flagstaff between 2024 and 2023, while all Medicaid claim categories in the city saw an increase of 8.4% in the same stretch.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report show combined federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached about $871.7 billion during fiscal year 2023, approximately 18% of the country’s total health expenditures, a sharp jump from $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This increase amounts to nearly 40% growth in just several years, largely powered by swelling enrollment and higher use of medical services during and following the pandemic.
Federal budget legislation during the Trump administration introduced major proposals affecting federal Medicaid support. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is forecasted to cut federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years and implement measures like work requirements and increased cost-sharing that may lower coverage and funding for some participants. These shifts are expected to require states to shoulder a greater share of costs and restrict the rate of growth for federal Medicaid contributions, even as the program continues to provide for millions in the U.S.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $12,972,627 | 9.1% |
| 2021 | $13,175,041 | 1.6% |
| 2022 | $11,433,742 | -13.2% |
| 2023 | $12,227,048 | 6.9% |
| 2024 | $12,848,678 | 5.1% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $15,426,679 | 26.3% |
| 2 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $12,848,678 | 21.9% |
| 3 | Evaluation and Management | $10,122,896 | 17.2% |
| 4 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $6,075,636 | 10.3% |
| 5 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $3,673,040 | 6.3% |
| 6 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $2,887,316 | 4.9% |
| 7 | Radiology Procedures | $2,713,261 | 4.6% |
| 8 | Dental Services | $1,677,848 | 2.9% |
| 9 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $1,570,812 | 2.7% |
| 10 | Procedures / Professional Services | $604,817 | 1% |
| 11 | Surgery | $513,603 | 0.9% |
| 12 | Durable Medical Equipment | $233,981 | 0.4% |
| 13 | Outpatient PPS | $139,426 | 0.2% |
| 14 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $74,108 | 0.1% |
| 15 | Temporary Codes | $66,133 | 0.1% |
| 16 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $42,949 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Durable medical equipment (DME) Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) | $15,290 | <0.1% |
| 18 | Orthotic Procedures and services | $14,284 | <0.1% |
| 19 | Anesthesia | $5,685 | <0.1% |
| 20 | Administrative, Miscellaneous and Investigational | $0 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0427 | Als1-emergency | $3,963,291 | 12 |
| A0436 | Rotary wing air mileage | $3,316,167 | 15 |
| A0429 | Bls-emergency | $1,786,109 | 12 |
| A0431 | Rotary wing air transport | $1,675,130 | 14 |
| A0425 | Ground mileage | $1,026,282 | 12 |
| A0428 | Bls | $383,897 | 12 |
| A0120 | Noner transport mini-bus | $276,179 | 55 |
| A0435 | Fixed wing air mileage | $141,310 | 6 |
| A0430 | Fixed wing air transport | $106,608 | 6 |
| A0160 | Noner transport case worker | $74,334 | 10 |
| A0426 | Als 1 | $73,047 | 5 |
| A0888 | Noncovered ambulance mileage | $15,146 | 2 |
| A0433 | Als 2 | $10,351 | 1 |
| A0110 | Nonemergency transport bus | $418 | 9 |
| A0422 | Ambulance 02 life sustaining | $359 | 5 |
| A0100 | Nonemergency transport taxi | $41 | 2 |
| A0130 | Noner transport wheelch van | $0 | 1 |
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.
