Santa Cruz Medicaid providers billed $326,409 for services in the Hearing Services category in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This figure reflects a 182.6% rise from 2023, when claims for these services totaled $115,502.
Medicaid is a state-operated public health insurance program that is jointly funded by federal and state governments. As one of the biggest components of the U.S. health care system, it serves low-income individuals and families, seniors, children and people with disabilities.
As Medicaid expenditures are funded by taxpayers, fluctuations in local billing highlight how community health care resources are distributed.
The Hearing Services category groups Medicaid-billed services by care type, organized under standardized HCPCS and CPT code ranges. For this report, all billing codes were matched to a specific service group based on consistent code prefixes and ranges, enabling analysis of related services without double counting and supporting accurate comparisons over time.
While Medicaid spending increased for several service types, Hearing Services placed 12th among all Medicaid payment categories in Santa Cruz in 2024.
Statewide in California, Hearing Services ranked 21st by overall Medicaid payments for 2024.
During the five years preceding 2024, Santa Cruz Medicaid payments for Hearing Services grew by $309,272, or 1804.7%. Increases were especially notable during some periods, with higher year-over-year growth seen in 2021 and 2023.
Although these services were billed throughout the city, spending was concentrated in specific ZIP codes. The 95060 ZIP code accounted for $326,408 in Hearing Services payments in 2024, comprising 100% of the category’s Medicaid expenditures in Santa Cruz for the year.
Payments for Hearing Services under Medicaid were also focused within a small number of billing codes.
By comparison, from 2023 to 2024, Santa Cruz’s Medicaid payments for Hearing Services surged by 182.6%, while payments for all claim categories across the city rose 35.1% in the same period.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total federal and state Medicaid spending reached about $871.7 billion during fiscal year 2023, accounting for approximately 18% of all national health expenditures—up sharply from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This growth amounts to an increase of about 40% over a few years, driven by expanded Medicaid enrollment and elevated use of services amid and following the pandemic.
Federal budget measures under the Trump administration have introduced major proposals to cut federal Medicaid funding and change the program’s structure. For example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years and includes new policies like work requirements and increased cost-sharing, which may reduce coverage and funding for some enrollees. These changes are expected to shift more costs to states and slow the growth of federal Medicaid support, even as the program continues serving tens of millions across the U.S.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $17,137 | – |
| 2021 | $103,159 | 502% |
| 2022 | $87,972 | -14.7% |
| 2023 | $115,501 | 31.3% |
| 2024 | $326,408 | 182.6% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $25,985,402 | 40.6% |
| 2 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $13,495,147 | 21.1% |
| 3 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $9,292,025 | 14.5% |
| 4 | Evaluation and Management | $6,841,132 | 10.7% |
| 5 | Procedures / Professional Services | $2,117,933 | 3.3% |
| 6 | Radiology Procedures | $1,984,234 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $1,062,736 | 1.7% |
| 8 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $837,597 | 1.3% |
| 9 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $485,739 | 0.8% |
| 10 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $447,086 | 0.7% |
| 11 | Durable Medical Equipment | $329,057 | 0.5% |
| 12 | Hearing Services | $326,408 | 0.5% |
| 13 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $270,883 | 0.4% |
| 14 | Surgery | $194,526 | 0.3% |
| 15 | Dental Services | $168,054 | 0.3% |
| 16 | Temporary Codes | $38,500 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Anesthesia | $26,062 | <0.1% |
| 18 | Vision Services | $11,896 | <0.1% |
| 19 | Coronavirus Diagnostic Panel | $4,404 | <0.1% |
| 20 | Orthotic Procedures and services | $4,378 | <0.1% |
| 21 | Durable medical equipment (DME) Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) | $4,313 | <0.1% |
| 22 | Administrative, Miscellaneous and Investigational | $3,138 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| V5298 | Hearing aid noc | $312,579 | 10 |
| V5010 | Assessment for hearing aid | $13,227 | 10 |
| V5264 | Ear mold/insert | $601 | 1 |
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.
