Magnolia sees 58% rise in Medicaid Evaluation and Management payments in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Magnolia reported $300,303 in claims for services categorized under Evaluation and Management, based on figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This amount reflects a 58% jump compared with 2023, when these claims totaled $190,102 for the same services.

Medicaid, one of the largest components of the U.S. health care system, is administered by states and funded through a federal-state partnership. It primarily covers seniors, low-income families, children, and individuals with disabilities.

Adjustments in local Medicaid billing demonstrate how tax-funded health care dollars are distributed within a community.

The “Evaluation and Management” category encompasses a range of Medicaid-billed services classified by care type, based on standardized HCPCS and CPT coding. Billing codes were grouped for this study into single service categories using consistent prefixes and numeric spans, enabling comparative analysis of related services without duplication and ensuring accuracy over time.

While Magnolia saw increased Medicaid spending across various categories, Evaluation and Management led all categories in total Medicaid payments for 2024.

Statewide, Evaluation and Management ranked third in Mississippi for total Medicaid payments that same year.

From 2019 through 2024, Magnolia’s Medicaid payments linked to Evaluation and Management rose by $1,682, or 0.6%. Certain years, including 2020 and 2021, showed notable year-over-year increases that contributed to this overall growth.

In Magnolia, spending for Evaluation and Management was distributed throughout the city, but a small number of ZIP codes received most payments. The highest payments, totaling $300,302 in 2024, were made to ZIP code 39652. That single ZIP code represented 100% of citywide Medicaid payments tied to Evaluation and Management services during that year.

A few specific billing codes accounted for the majority of Medicaid payments within the Evaluation and Management category.

For context, the 58% increase in Medicaid Evaluation and Management payments in Magnolia between 2023 and 2024 outpaced the 11.8% increase recorded across all Medicaid claim categories in the city during this time.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report that in fiscal 2023, combined federal and state Medicaid expenditures hit about $871.7 billion, roughly 18% of U.S. health spending and a sharp jump from around $613.5 billion in 2019.

This surge—about 40% growth over several years—was fueled primarily by increased enrollment and higher care utilization during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent years, federal budget measures under the Trump administration have aimed to scale back Medicaid’s federal funding and change the program’s structure. Notably, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. The law includes provisions such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing that may restrict coverage and resources for some enrollees, shifting more costs to states even as Medicaid continues serving tens of millions of Americans.

Note: HCPCS codes are provided for category context. Rankings and totals are based on broad service groupings rather than individual codes.

The data used in this article is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The original source is accessible here.