In 2024, Medicaid providers in Cameron submitted claims totaling $158,943 for the Dental Services category, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This represents a 47.7% gain from 2023, when claims reached $107,610 for the same services.
Medicaid, a public health insurance program jointly financed by federal and state entities, serves low-income individuals and families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities, making it a core component of the U.S. health care system. More information on Medicaid’s funding structure can be found here.
Since taxpayers fund Medicaid payments, fluctuations in local billing reflect how public health care expenditures are allocated in communities.
The “Dental Services” grouping consists of Medicaid-billed care categorized by the treatment delivered, based on standardized HCPCS and CPT code groupings. Billing codes for this review were assigned to a single service type using consistent numerical ranges and prefixes, ensuring that related services are grouped together while preventing code duplication and maintaining accurate year-over-year comparisons.
While Medicaid payouts grew in several service categories, Dental Services held the second-highest payment rank in Cameron for 2024.
Across North Carolina, Dental Services was ninth among Medicaid payment categories statewide in 2024.
Between 2019 and 2024, Medicaid payments for Dental Services in Cameron increased $57,415, or 56.6%. Some periods saw sharper spikes, especially in 2021 and 2023.
Dental Services expenses were routed throughout the city but were concentrated within a few ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 28326 accounted for $158,942 in Medicaid payments for Dental Services. Collectively, the top ZIP code made up 100% of all local Medicaid outlays in this category during the year.
Within Dental Services, Medicaid claims were highly focused on a small group of billing codes.
Compared to all Medicaid categories, payments for Dental Services in Cameron climbed 47.7% from 2023 to 2024, whereas total Medicaid claims citywide rose 34.8% during the same timeframe.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data show total federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached approximately $871.7 billion for fiscal 2023, accounting for about 18% of all national health expenditures. This marks an increase from $613.5 billion in 2019, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The jump equates to about 40% growth in just a few years, fueled partly by higher enrollment and increased utilization during and after the pandemic.
Federal budget actions in the Trump administration have included major proposals to decrease federal Medicaid spending and update the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, enacted in 2025, is set to reduce federal Medicaid expenditures by more than $1 trillion over the next decade and introduces measures such as work mandates and enhanced cost-sharing, potentially limiting coverage and spending for some recipients. These changes could shift a greater financial burden to state governments and restrict the pace of federal support, while the program continues serving tens of millions across the country.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $101,527 | 6.5% |
| 2021 | $113,999 | 12.3% |
| 2022 | $98,890 | -13.3% |
| 2023 | $107,610 | 8.8% |
| 2024 | $158,942 | 47.7% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evaluation and Management | $463,750 | 64.9% |
| 2 | Dental Services | $158,942 | 22.3% |
| 3 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $61,164 | 8.6% |
| 4 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $20,241 | 2.8% |
| 5 | Procedures / Professional Services | $10,078 | 1.4% |
| 6 | Surgery | $103 | <0.1% |
| 7 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $0 | <0.1% |
| 7 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $0 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| D0150 | Comprehensve oral evaluation | $37,926 | 26 |
| D0330 | Panoramic image | $30,930 | 18 |
| D0120 | Periodic oral evaluation | $23,761 | 32 |
| D0274 | Bitewings four images | $22,800 | 21 |
| D0140 | Limit oral eval problm focus | $18,208 | 12 |
| D0220 | Intraoral periapical first | $11,946 | 34 |
| D0230 | Intraoral periapical ea add | $6,965 | 10 |
| D0272 | Dental bitewings two images | $6,402 | 21 |
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.
