Oswego Medicaid spending for ambulance, transport services rises to $870,217 in 2024

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database, Oswego Medicaid providers claimed $870,217 in 2024 for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies. This total reflects a 240.9% jump when compared with 2023, during which $255,260 was billed for the same services.

Medicaid is a public health insurance program operated at the state level with funding from both the federal and state governments jointly. The coverage includes low-income groups, older adults, children, and people with disabilities, making Medicaid a major part of the U.S. health care structure.

Because Medicaid is funded by taxpayer dollars, shifts in local payment trends highlight changes in how community health dollars are used.

The “Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies” designation covers a category of Medicaid services defined through standardized HCPCS and CPT code groupings based on specific care types. Each billing code in this analysis was matched uniquely to one service category, using established code prefixes and ranges to group related services. This process ensures that ratings remain accurate over time without double counting.

Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies saw the highest total in Oswego for Medicaid payments across all service categories in 2024.

Statewide, Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies ranked second for Medicaid payments in Illinois during 2024.

During the five-year span leading up to 2024, Oswego Medicaid payments for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies grew by $505,142, amounting to a 138.4% increase. Growth intensified in certain periods, with particularly strong year-over-year increases recorded in 2020 and 2021.

The distribution of these Medicaid payments was citywide, but most were focused within a small number of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 60543 received $870,217 in Medicaid payments tied to this category—representing the entire total for Oswego that year.

Within this service category, Medicaid payments largely stemmed from a relatively small set of individual billing codes.

For perspective, Oswego experienced a 240.9% jump in Medicaid spending for Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies from 2023 to 2024, while the rate for all Medicaid claim categories in the city shifted only 3.7% across the same timeframe.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total state and federal Medicaid spending was approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up around 18% of total national health care expenses—a significant increase from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

This difference marks growth of about 40% in only a few years, driven mainly by increased enrollment and greater utilization during and after the COVID-19 crisis period.

Federal budget measures under the Trump administration introduced major proposals to decrease federal funding for Medicaid and make structural changes to the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is projected to decrease federal Medicaid outlays by more than $1 trillion over the coming decade. It also introduces work requirements and increased cost-sharing, policies that could limit both coverage and federal funding for certain recipients, shifting more financial responsibility to states.

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.