Providers in Winston Salem billed Medicaid for $1,944,453 in services under the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment category during 2024, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This figure reflects a 209% jump compared to the previous year, when claims in this service category totaled $629,303.
Medicaid, a public health insurance program managed by states and co-financed by federal and state governments, covers low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities—making it one of the cornerstones of the U.S. health care system.
Because taxpayer dollars fund Medicaid payments, fluctuations in local billing levels signal how public health care resources are distributed within the community.
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment service category is defined by certain HCPCS and CPT code groupings, determined by type of care delivered. Each billing code was placed into a single service category for this analysis, using set code prefixes and numeric ranges. This system makes it possible to evaluate related services as a whole while preventing double counting and ensuring accuracy in rankings over time.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment represented the highest Medicaid spending among service categories in Winston Salem in 2024, amid a broader rise across multiple categories.
Statewide, this category placed fourth in North Carolina for total Medicaid payments in 2024.
From 2019 through 2024, Winston Salem saw total Medicaid payments for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment services rise by $1,944,453, or 0%. Growth accelerated during certain intervals, with significant jumps occurring between 2023 and 2022.
Although these payments were distributed throughout the city, most were concentrated in specific ZIP codes. The ZIP code 27101 stood out in 2024, accounting for $1,944,452 of the Medicaid payments for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment—a full 100% of such payments in Winston Salem during the year.
Payments in this category were also clustered among a limited number of individual billing codes.
Comparing trends, Medicaid payments in Winston Salem’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment category increased 209% between 2024 and 2023, versus a 42% change across all Medicaid claim types in the city for the same period.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joint federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached about $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023. This amount represented an estimated 18% share of total national health expenditures and was a sharp increase from $613.5 billion in 2019, just before the onset of COVID-19.
This increase represents an approximate 40% uptick over several years, driven mainly by increased enrollment and greater utilization during the pandemic and the period that followed.
Recent federal budget measures introduced during the Trump administration featured major proposals aimed at reducing federal Medicaid spending and revamping the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to cut federal Medicaid funding by more than $1 trillion over a decade. It also introduces policies such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing, which may reduce coverage or funds for some groups of beneficiaries. These adjustments are projected to push more costs onto states and curb federal Medicaid growth, even as tens of millions of Americans continue to rely on the program.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $343,306 | – |
| 2022 | $390,931 | 13.9% |
| 2023 | $629,303 | 61% |
| 2024 | $1,944,452 | 209% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $1,944,452 | 22.6% |
| 2 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $1,886,394 | 21.9% |
| 3 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $1,573,560 | 18.3% |
| 4 | Evaluation and Management | $1,478,469 | 17.2% |
| 5 | Surgery | $590,893 | 6.9% |
| 6 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $224,231 | 2.6% |
| 7 | Durable Medical Equipment | $190,151 | 2.2% |
| 8 | Enteral and Parenteral Therapy | $180,763 | 2.1% |
| 9 | Dental Services | $178,473 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $134,889 | 1.6% |
| 11 | Anesthesia | $107,461 | 1.2% |
| 12 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $37,748 | 0.4% |
| 13 | Temporary Codes | $36,881 | 0.4% |
| 14 | Orthotic Procedures and services | $21,061 | 0.2% |
| 15 | Radiology Procedures | $10,573 | 0.1% |
| 16 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $7,419 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Procedures / Professional Services | $68 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| H0020 | Alcohol and/or drug services | $1,683,330 | 12 |
| H0015 | Alcohol and/or drug services | $261,122 | 12 |
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.
