Fircrest Medicaid spending on non-oral drug services hits $59,289 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Fircrest received $59,289 for services listed under the Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method category, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows. This represents a 73.6% jump from 2023, when providers claimed $34,145 for the same service category.

Medicaid operates as a state-managed program financed by both federal and state governments. It provides coverage for low-income households, older adults, children, and individuals living with disabilities, making it a major component of the U.S. health care system.

Since Medicaid is funded by taxpayers, fluctuations in local billing reveal how public health care resources are distributed at the community level.

The “Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method” label defines a set of Medicaid-billed services determined by the care provided and organized under established HCPCS and CPT code groupings. Each code was assigned to one category for this analysis, using uniform code prefixes and numbers, which allowed related services to be combined for review without overlap and ensured accurate ranking comparisons over time.

While Medicaid spending grew in multiple categories, Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method ranked as the third-largest category by total Medicaid reimbursement in Fircrest for 2024.

Statewide, the Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method category ranked 10th in total Medicaid payments for Washington in 2024.

Between 2019 and 2024, Medicaid payments connected to the Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method category in Fircrest rose by $27,268, a 31.5% increase. Some periods saw faster spending growth, with notable year-over-year increases in 2023 and 2022.

Spending in this category occurred across Fircrest, yet most Medicaid payments came from a small set of ZIP codes. In 2024, ZIP code 98466 saw the highest Medicaid reimbursement for the Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method category, totaling $59,288. This ZIP alone accounted for all Medicaid payments in this category within the city that year.

Payments in the Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method category were also focused on a few specific billing codes.

Comparatively, Medicaid spending on these services in Fircrest increased 73.6% from 2023 to 2024, while total Medicaid payments across all service categories in the city rose by 17.5% in the same period.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal and state Medicaid expenses reached roughly $871.7 billion in the 2023 fiscal year, making up about 18% of total U.S. health spending, up significantly from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This reflects growth near 40% in a few years, driven mainly by greater enrollment and utilization during and beyond the pandemic.

Recent federal budget actions under the Trump administration have introduced major proposals to reduce federal Medicaid support and adjust the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is set to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion over 10 years and adds requirements such as work mandates and higher cost-sharing, which could trim both coverage and funding for certain recipients. These adjustments are projected to transfer more cost responsibilities to states and limit future federal contributions, though Medicaid continues to aid tens of 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.