In 2024, Livermore Medicaid providers billed $6,333,445 for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows. This represented a 30.4% rise compared to 2023, when claims for the category totaled $4,856,762.
Medicaid, jointly funded by federal and state governments and administered by states, is a public health insurance program providing coverage to low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. It is among the largest components of the U.S. health care system.
Since Medicaid utilizes taxpayer funding, shifts in local billing offer insight into how communities allocate public health resources.
The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” category comprises Medicaid-billed services defined by care type, based on standardized HCPCS and CPT coding. For this reporting, each code was consistently assigned to one service group using code prefixes and numeric ranges, enabling analysis of related services while preventing duplicate counting and ensuring accurate rankings across years.
Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies represented the largest category for Medicaid payments in Livermore in 2024, despite increased Medicaid costs across several areas.
Statewide, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked ninth among service categories for California Medicaid payments in 2024.
From 2019 through 2024, Livermore Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies grew by $4,576,572, or 260.5%. Much of the growth was seen in periods with substantial year-over-year gains, particularly in 2023 and 2022.
Although Medicaid expenditures for this transport category spanned the city, most payments were clustered in a small number of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 94551 saw the most payments, totaling $6,333,444. The top ZIP code represented 100% of the city’s Medicaid payments for this category in that year.
Payments within the category were also heavily concentrated among a few specific billing codes.
For context, Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies in Livermore climbed by 30.4% from 2023 to 2024, compared to a citywide increase of 33.7% across all claim categories during the same timeframe.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid spending reached approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, accounting for nearly 18% of total U.S. health expenditures. This increased sharply from about $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This represents nearly 40% growth in a few years, largely due to higher enrollment and increased services during and after the pandemic.
Federal budget policies established during the Trump administration included notable proposals to decrease federal Medicaid funding and restructure the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, is projected to cut over $1 trillion in federal Medicaid spending over a decade. The law introduces work requirements and greater cost-sharing, which are expected to reduce funding and coverage for some beneficiaries. These measures would shift additional costs to states and slow federal Medicaid support, even as the program continues to assist tens of millions of Americans.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $1,756,873 | 1.7% |
| 2021 | $2,004,362 | 14.1% |
| 2022 | $2,603,431 | 29.9% |
| 2023 | $4,856,762 | 86.6% |
| 2024 | $6,333,444 | 30.4% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $6,333,444 | 57.6% |
| 2 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $1,737,563 | 15.8% |
| 3 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $1,059,113 | 9.6% |
| 4 | Anesthesia | $945,031 | 8.6% |
| 5 | Procedures / Professional Services | $530,558 | 4.8% |
| 6 | Dental Services | $350,801 | 3.2% |
| 7 | Evaluation and Management | $33,104 | 0.3% |
| 8 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $1,168 | <0.1% |
| 9 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $811 | <0.1% |
| 10 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $124 | <0.1% |
| 11 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $92 | <0.1% |
| 12 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $0 | <0.1% |
| 12 | Vision Services | $0 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0425 | Ground mileage | $1,971,911 | 13 |
| A0428 | Bls | $1,686,781 | 12 |
| A0429 | Bls-emergency | $1,208,478 | 12 |
| A0999 | Unlisted ambulance service | $507,262 | 10 |
| A0225 | Neonatal emergency transport | $432,105 | 10 |
| A0434 | Specialty care transport | $288,814 | 11 |
| A0427 | Als1-emergency | $82,882 | 10 |
| A0426 | Als 1 | $79,353 | 10 |
| A0380 | Basic life support mileage | $56,745 | 15 |
| A0130 | Noner transport wheelch van | $9,336 | 9 |
| A0422 | Ambulance 02 life sustaining | $8,774 | 11 |
| A0424 | Extra ambulance attendant | $997 | 3 |
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.
