In 2024, Atascadero Medicaid providers submitted $1,757,211 in claims for services under the National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This total marks a 91.5% rise over 2023, when local providers filed $917,603 in claims for the same category of care.
Medicaid, administered by the states with funding from both state and federal governments, offers health coverage for low-income families and individuals, seniors, children, and those with disabilities. As a result, it represents one of the largest components of the U.S. health care system. For more on financing, see the joint federal and state funding explainer.
Trends in Medicaid billing reveal how public health care resources are distributed at the community level, given that Medicaid is funded by taxpayers.
The National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies category comprises groups of Medicaid services organized by care type using standardized HCPCS and CPT code sets. For this analysis, individual billing codes were assigned to single service categories based on uniform code prefixes and numeric intervals, allowing related services to be grouped, mitigating double counting, and ensuring accuracy in year-to-year comparisons.
National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies was the third-largest Medicaid payment category in Atascadero for 2024, even as Medicaid spending rose across several areas of care.
Statewide, the National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies category held the top position for total Medicaid payments in California in 2024.
From 2019 to 2024, Medicaid payments associated with this category in Atascadero grew by $870,604, or 98.2%. Spending growth accelerated at points during this interval, showing significant annual jumps in both 2023 and 2022.
Though service payments under this Medicaid category were distributed throughout Atascadero, the funds largely concentrated within a small number of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 93422 represented $1,757,210 in Medicaid payments for this category, with the top ZIP code accounting for 100% of the payments linked to National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies in the city.
Within the category, Medicaid disbursements were centered on a select group of billing codes.
Comparing spending increases, this Medicaid category in Atascadero saw a 91.5% rise between 2024 and 2023, while overall Medicaid claim payments citywide climbed 40.2% during the same time frame.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, comprising about 18% of all national health spending. This is a substantial increase from $613.5 billion reported in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The expansion reflects nearly 40% growth within several years, primarily resulting from expanded enrollment and higher service utilization during and after the pandemic.
Recent federal budgets under the Trump administration have introduced considerable proposed reductions to Medicaid funding and changes to the program structure. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years, while introducing work requirements and higher cost-sharing, potentially reducing coverage and shifting costs to states as federal support is capped even as Medicaid continues to serve tens of millions across the U.S.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $886,607 | -38.6% |
| 2021 | $622,984 | -29.7% |
| 2022 | $459,138 | -26.3% |
| 2023 | $917,602 | 99.9% |
| 2024 | $1,757,210 | 91.5% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $2,801,647 | 32.2% |
| 2 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $2,166,507 | 24.9% |
| 3 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $1,757,210 | 20.2% |
| 4 | Evaluation and Management | $1,384,333 | 15.9% |
| 5 | Procedures / Professional Services | $363,870 | 4.2% |
| 6 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $181,744 | 2.1% |
| 7 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $29,339 | 0.3% |
| 8 | Dental Services | $5,305 | 0.1% |
| 9 | Anesthesia | $4,905 | 0.1% |
| 10 | Vision Services | $4,304 | <0.1% |
| 11 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $12 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1017 | Targeted case management | $1,375,029 | 29 |
| T2021 | Day habil waiver per 15 min | $209,091 | 8 |
| T2024 | Serv asmnt/care plan waiver | $158,837 | 6 |
| T1001 | Nursing assessment/evaluatn | $10,382 | 6 |
| T2007 | Non-emer transport wait time | $2,508 | 7 |
| T2003 | N-et; encounter/trip | $1,362 | 2 |
| T1015 | Clinic service | $0 | 4 |
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.