North Arlington Medicaid surgery spending climbs to $3,789 in 2024

Medicaid providers in North Arlington billed a total of $3,789 for Surgery services in 2024, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows. This reflects a 3.6% uptick from 2023, when the same category accounted for $3,657 in claims.

Medicaid, a major component of the U.S. health care system, is a public program funded collaboratively by federal and state governments and administered by individual states. It provides health insurance for low-income individuals, families, seniors, children and people with disabilities.

Because Medicaid is funded by taxpayers, fluctuations in local billing highlight how health care resources are distributed within a community.

The “Surgery” category combines a defined set of services, organized using standardized HCPCS and CPT codes. For this report, billing codes were grouped into categories by code prefixes and numeric ranges, which ensured consistency, prevented double counting, and maintained accurate trend analysis.

Although several Medicaid categories saw spending growth, Surgery ranked fourth by total Medicaid payments in North Arlington for 2024.

Statewide in New Jersey, Surgery ranked ninth for total Medicaid payments in 2024.

Between 2019 and 2024, Medicaid payments for Surgery in North Arlington rose by $1,565, or 70.4%. Notable increases were recorded in both 2021 and 2020.

Surgery-related Medicaid payments in 2024 were distributed throughout the city but were focused in a small number of ZIP codes. Specifically, ZIP code 07031 accounted for $3,788 in Surgery payments, representing 100% of North Arlington’s Medicaid Surgery spending that year.

Medicaid payments in the Surgery category were concentrated among only a few individual billing codes.

For additional context, Medicaid payments for Surgery in North Arlington rose 3.6% from 2023 to 2024. By comparison, all Medicaid claim categories together saw a 50.5% change citywide during that period.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total federal and state Medicaid spending reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023—roughly 18% of total national health expenditures—rising sharply from about $613.5 billion in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This reflects an increase of approximately 40% over several years, largely driven by expanded enrollment and higher use throughout and following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget actions during the Trump administration included major proposals to decrease federal Medicaid funding and modify the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. The law brings work requirements and higher cost-sharing, potentially reducing coverage and funding for some Medicaid participants. These changes are anticipated to shift costs toward states and limit future growth in federal Medicaid support while the program continues to cover millions nationwide.

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.