Phenix City Medicaid Durable Medical Equipment claims surge to $2,910 in 2024

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows that Medicaid providers in Phenix City billed $2,910 for services in the Durable Medical Equipment category in 2024. This was a 1621.9% rise over 2023, when providers reported $169 in claims for the same services.

Medicaid, the public health insurance program managed by states with both federal and state funding, covers low-income people, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities. It remains a major component of the U.S. health care system. For more, see how the program is funded here.

Since Medicaid is financed by taxpayers, fluctuations in local billing illustrate the allocation of community health care resources.

The Durable Medical Equipment category covers a selection of Medicaid-billed services grouped by care type, using standardized HCPCS and CPT code ranges. This analysis assigned each billing code to a single service group, using consistent prefixes and numbers to ensure related services were grouped accurately, avoiding duplication and supporting valid trend comparisons.

Durable Medical Equipment was the seventh-largest Medicaid payment category in Phenix City for 2024 despite overall growth across various service types.

Statewide, Durable Medical Equipment ranked 11th for total Medicaid payments in Alabama during 2024.

During the five years up to 2024, Phenix City Medicaid payments for Durable Medical Equipment increased by $8,100, or 73.6%. Some years saw faster growth, with notable spikes in 2020 and 2022.

Even though payments for Durable Medical Equipment services were spread throughout the city, the majority were reported from a few ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 36867 generated $2,910, accounting for 100% of Medicaid payments in this service category in Phenix City.

Within the Durable Medical Equipment service group, a small number of individual billing codes represented most Medicaid payments.

Comparatively, Medicaid payments for this category in Phenix City grew by 1621.9% from 2023 to 2024, while payments for all Medicaid claim categories locally increased by 35.1% over the same period.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data show that combined federal and state Medicaid spending rose to about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up about 18% of U.S. health spending—up significantly from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That figure marks nearly 40% growth in a few years, fueled by higher enrollment and greater service use during and following the pandemic.

Federal budget legislation enacted under the Trump administration featured a number of efforts to scale back federal Medicaid support and change the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which became law in 2025, is estimated to reduce federal Medicaid payments by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. It also includes provisions such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing, which could decrease coverage and funding for certain recipients. The expected result is increased financial responsibility for states and reduced federal funding growth, even as Medicaid serves tens of millions across the country.

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.