In 2024, providers in Decatur submitted $5,799,767 in Medicaid billing under the Dental Services category, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This figure is a 10.4% increase over 2023, when $5,255,470 was billed for the same services.
Medicaid, overseen by states and funded through a partnership between federal and state governments, insures low-income residents, elderly individuals, children, and people with disabilities, making it a significant part of the U.S. health system. Further details are available from the Commonwealth Fund.
Since Medicaid payments draw from public funds, shifts in claims and billing provide insight into how taxpayer money supports health care needs at the local level.
The “Dental Services” classification groups Medicaid-reimbursed services by type, based on recognized HCPCS and CPT billing codes. Methods for this analysis assigned each code to a unique service group to allow clear multi-year comparisons, avoid overlap, and preserve accurate rankings.
Dental Services accounted for the highest Medicaid expenditures of any service category in Decatur in 2024, amid spending growth across numerous areas.
Statewide in Georgia, the Dental Services group placed 11th for total Medicaid payments during the year.
From 2019 through 2024, Decatur’s Medicaid Dental Services payments climbed $1,851,735, a gain of 46.9%. The most substantial gains were documented in 2021 and 2022.
Spending for Dental Services was found citywide, yet concentrated mostly in a few ZIP codes. In 2024, all Medicaid payments for Dental Services in Decatur—totaling $5,799,766—were associated with ZIP code 30032. This single ZIP code represented 100% of local Dental Services Medicaid payments during the year.
A relatively small set of billing codes accounted for most Medicaid Dental Services payments in the city.
For additional context, Dental Services Medicaid payments in Decatur increased 10.4% from 2023 to 2024, compared to an 11.7% overall rise for all Medicaid claims citywide during that span.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joint state and federal Medicaid expenditures reached approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, representing nearly 18% of nationwide health spending and rising notably from around $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This rise equals an increase of about 40% in a few years, primarily attributable to growing enrollment and utilization in pandemic and post-pandemic periods.
Recent years have brought major budget proposals affecting federal Medicaid funding; one such measure, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is estimated to trim federal Medicaid expenditures by over $1 trillion over the next 10 years. The law establishes work requirements and greater cost-sharing, which may result in reduced state and beneficiary support and shift a larger share of program costs to state governments, all while Medicaid continues to serve tens of millions across the country.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $3,948,031 | -33.7% |
| 2021 | $5,318,407 | 34.7% |
| 2022 | $5,281,997 | -0.7% |
| 2023 | $5,255,470 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | $5,799,766 | 10.4% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dental Services | $5,799,766 | 40.4% |
| 2 | Evaluation and Management | $2,764,387 | 19.3% |
| 3 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $1,600,763 | 11.2% |
| 4 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $1,473,032 | 10.3% |
| 5 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $1,133,053 | 7.9% |
| 6 | Radiology Procedures | $807,062 | 5.6% |
| 7 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $503,261 | 3.5% |
| 8 | Procedures / Professional Services | $180,544 | 1.3% |
| 9 | Surgery | $45,413 | 0.3% |
| 10 | Temporary Codes | $17,735 | 0.1% |
| 11 | Pathology and Laboratory Services | $11,184 | 0.1% |
| 12 | Outpatient PPS | $4,176 | <0.1% |
| 13 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $3,020 | <0.1% |
| 14 | Administrative, Miscellaneous and Investigational | $1,609 | <0.1% |
| 15 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $100 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| D0120 | Periodic oral evaluation | $1,320,321 | 331 |
| D0274 | Bitewings four images | $1,094,989 | 302 |
| D0150 | Comprehensve oral evaluation | $912,215 | 287 |
| D0272 | Dental bitewings two images | $844,984 | 325 |
| D0330 | Panoramic image | $510,704 | 269 |
| D0220 | Intraoral periapical first | $480,283 | 315 |
| D0230 | Intraoral periapical ea add | $288,173 | 301 |
| D0210 | Intraor comprehensive series | $155,420 | 206 |
| D0140 | Limit oral eval problm focus | $115,939 | 168 |
| D0603 | Caries risk assess high risk | $43,491 | 172 |
| D0602 | Caries risk assess mod risk | $30,784 | 117 |
| D0601 | Caries risk assess low risk | $1,766 | 20 |
| D0270 | Dental bitewing single image | $382 | 4 |
| D0240 | Intraoral occlusal film | $309 | 1 |
Note: HCPCS codes are displayed for additional context. Category amounts and rankings referenced in this report use standardized service classifications, not individual billing codes.
This article used figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The data source is available here.
