Braddock Medicaid spending for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment rises to $1,509,717 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Braddock billed $1,509,717 for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment services, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows. This was a 16.2% increase from 2023, when providers submitted $1,299,340 in claims for this category.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state public health insurance program that covers low-income people and families, older adults, children, and those with disabilities. As one of the nation’s primary health care programs, it is funded by both state and federal governments.

Since Medicaid funding is drawn from taxpayer contributions, variance in local billing shows how community health funds are distributed.

The “Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment” category pertains to services grouped together based on standardized HCPCS and CPT codes. Each billing code for this study was categorized into a single service category using consistent prefixes and number groupings, which ensures related treatments are jointly analyzed, avoids duplicate counting, and maintains ranking accuracy over time.

Although Medicaid spending increased across several categories, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment accounted for the largest share of Medicaid payments in Braddock in 2024.

Statewide in Pennsylvania, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment also led all categories in Medicaid payments for 2024.

Medicaid payments connected to Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment in Braddock climbed by $1,169,970 over five years to 2024, or 344.4%. Growth accelerated across particular intervals, with the largest yearly jumps seen in 2021 and 2023.

Although Medicaid spending occurred throughout the city, payments tied to Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment were overwhelmingly registered in certain ZIP codes. For 2024, the 15104 ZIP code alone accounted for $1,509,717—representing 100% of Braddock’s Medicaid payments in this service category for the year.

Payments within the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment category primarily involved a select set of billing codes.

From 2023 to 2024, Medicaid payments for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment services in Braddock increased 16.2%, while the change for all Medicaid claims in Braddock during that period was 2.1%.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports combined federal and state Medicaid spending reached roughly $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023—approximately 18% of national health expenditures and a significant rise from about $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This jump equals nearly 40% growth in a few years, largely driven by widened enrollment and increased use of services during and after the pandemic.

Federal budget measures enacted during the Trump administration have incorporated significant cuts and changes to federal Medicaid funding. As an example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion over 10 years, instituting measures like work requirements and additional cost-sharing. These changes could limit coverage for some beneficiaries and are poised to place a greater financial burden on states as federal support slows, despite Medicaid’s ongoing reach across tens of millions of Americans.

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.