Jacksonville Medicaid providers billed $5,992,587 for services in the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment category in 2024, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows. This was a 72.9% increase over 2023, when $3,466,475 in claims were submitted for the same services.
Medicaid is a statewide public health insurance program funded jointly by federal and state governments. It covers low-income people, families, seniors, children, and those with disabilities, making it one of the largest components of the U.S. health care system.
As Medicaid payments are taxpayer funded, fluctuations in local billing reveal changes in how public health care dollars are distributed within a community.
The “Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment” classification includes Medicaid-billed services grouped by care type, using standardized HCPCS and CPT code ranges. For this summary, each billing code was assigned to one service group by consistent code prefixes and number ranges, so related services could be tracked together and accurate rankings maintained without double counting.
While Medicaid spending grew across many categories, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment placed third in Jacksonville for total Medicaid payments in 2024.
Statewide in North Carolina, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment was the fourth-leading Medicaid category by total payments for 2024.
Over the five years to 2024, Medicaid payments in Jacksonville connected to Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment rose by $3,775,933, or 170.3%. Specific years, such as 2022 and 2020, saw notable increases in spending growth rates.
Although care under the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment category was delivered citywide, payments were heavily concentrated in a few ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 28546 accounted for $3,785,863, and 28540 for $2,206,723. Combined, these top 2 ZIP codes represented 100% of Medicaid spending in Jacksonville for these services.
Spending within the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment group was also focused on a small set of individual billing codes.
Comparing 2024 to 2023, Medicaid payments for this service category in Jacksonville rose 72.9%, while all Medicaid claim categories in the city increased by 12.6% over the same timeframe.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. This made up approximately 18% of all national health care spending, a significant jump from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This roughly 40% growth over several years was mainly due to increased enrollment and higher service use during and after the pandemic.
Federal budget measures enacted under the Trump administration have included plans to cut federal Medicaid funding and redesign the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion in the coming decade and implement policies like work requirements and increased cost-sharing. These changes may decrease coverage and funding for certain beneficiaries, with more financial responsibility shifted to states and increased federal funding limits, even as Medicaid serves tens of millions nationwide.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $2,216,654 | 32.6% |
| 2021 | $2,266,361 | 2.2% |
| 2022 | $3,630,386 | 60.2% |
| 2023 | $3,466,475 | -4.5% |
| 2024 | $5,992,586 | 72.9% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evaluation and Management | $25,593,985 | 53.1% |
| 2 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $6,223,437 | 12.9% |
| 3 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $5,992,586 | 12.4% |
| 4 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $3,084,611 | 6.4% |
| 5 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $1,997,859 | 4.1% |
| 6 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $1,654,510 | 3.4% |
| 7 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $1,196,734 | 2.5% |
| 8 | Surgery | $719,843 | 1.5% |
| 9 | Dental Services | $468,364 | 1% |
| 10 | Radiology Procedures | $307,277 | 0.6% |
| 11 | Durable Medical Equipment | $232,092 | 0.5% |
| 12 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $168,520 | 0.3% |
| 13 | Temporary Codes | $147,350 | 0.3% |
| 14 | Procedures / Professional Services | $134,207 | 0.3% |
| 15 | Anesthesia | $105,499 | 0.2% |
| 16 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $67,642 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Enteral and Parenteral Therapy | $55,038 | 0.1% |
| 18 | Durable medical equipment (DME) Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) | $15,443 | <0.1% |
| 19 | Vision Services | $429 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| H0020 | Alcohol and/or drug services | $2,811,916 | 12 |
| H2016 | Comp comm supp svc, per diem | $1,262,619 | 12 |
| H2011 | Crisis interven svc, 15 min | $836,307 | 11 |
| H2015 | Comp comm supp svc, 15 min | $827,330 | 12 |
| H0038 | Self-help/peer svc per 15min | $137,640 | 6 |
| H2012 | Behav hlth day treat, per hr | $116,773 | 2 |
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.
