Altadena Medicaid payments for state-established national codes rise to $812,284 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Altadena submitted $812,284 in claims for services categorized 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 represented an 8.9% rise from the previous year, when claims totaled $746,192 for the same category of services.

Medicaid is a government health insurance program overseen by individual states and funded by both federal and state governments. It provides coverage for low-income individuals and families, children, seniors, and those with disabilities, representing a significant portion of the U.S. health system.

Since taxpayer contributions fund Medicaid payments, shifts in local billing reveal how publicly funded healthcare resources are distributed within the community.

The “National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies” category encompasses services grouped by care type, utilizing standardized HCPCS and CPT code ranges. For analysis purposes, each code is allocated to a specific service category based on consistent prefix and numbering logic. This approach helps analyze related services collectively, prevent double counting, and maintain accurate year-to-year rankings.

While several Medicaid service categories saw increased spending, National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies led Altadena in total Medicaid payments for 2024.

Statewide, California also saw National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies as the top-ranking category by total Medicaid payments in 2024.

Across the five years preceding 2024, Medicaid payments in Altadena associated with National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies climbed by $348,026, or 75%. Certain intervals saw accelerated growth, such as significant increases in 2023 and 2020.

The city’s spending within this category was present throughout Altadena but concentrated within a small selection of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 91001 alone accounted for $812,283 in Medicaid payments for these services. Altogether, the leading single ZIP code comprised 100% of such Medicaid payments in Altadena for the year.

Payments within this group were also focused among a limited group of billing codes inside the National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies category.

Between 2024 and 2023, Medicaid payments attributed to this category in Altadena increased by 8.9%, while overall Medicaid payment categories in the city saw a 10.1% change during the same period.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined state and federal Medicaid spending reached approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up about 18% of overall national health expenses—a notable growth from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This change marks an estimated 40% increase within a few years, fueled primarily by growing enrollment and greater use of services during and after the pandemic.

Recent federal spending measures during the Trump administration introduced extensive proposals to cut federal Medicaid contributions and reform program funding structures. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion in the next decade by enacting provisions like work requirements and increased cost sharing. These policies could limit coverage and resources for certain beneficiaries and are poised to shift a greater financial burden to states, reducing the growth of federal support while Medicaid continues to serve tens of millions nationwide.

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.