Lockesburg sees $27,476 in Medicaid payments for pathology, lab services in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Lockesburg received $27,476 for services under the Pathology and Laboratory Procedures category, according to information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The amount represents a 2.4% uptick from the previous year, when providers billed $26,831 for similar services.

Medicaid is a public health insurance initiative managed by states and funded through federal and state partnerships. It serves low-income populations, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities, playing a significant role in the nation’s health care framework.

Variations in local Medicaid billing indicate how public health care resources are used within a community, given that funding is taxpayer-supported.

The “Pathology and Laboratory Procedures” group comprises Medicaid-billed services categorized by the type of care provided, based on standardized HCPCS and CPT code sets. Each billing code was placed into a distinct service category using consistent code prefixes and numbers for this analysis, enabling analysis of related services together while ensuring rankings remain accurate and free from double counting over time.

Spending rose in several Medicaid service categories, with Pathology and Laboratory Procedures holding the second position in total Medicaid payments for Lockesburg in 2024.

Statewide, Pathology and Laboratory Procedures was ranked sixth among all Medicaid service categories by total payments in Arkansas for the same year.

Over the five years leading up to 2024, Medicaid payments linked to the Pathology and Laboratory Procedures category in Lockesburg stayed at $27,476, reflecting no percentage change. Nonetheless, certain periods saw faster growth, including notable year-over-year increases in 2023 and 2022.

Within Lockesburg, spending for Pathology and Laboratory Procedures was concentrated in a select number of ZIP codes. For 2024, ZIP code 71846 reported the largest share, with $27,475 in associated Medicaid payments. This ZIP code represented 100% of all Medicaid spending for this category in the city that year.

A limited number of billing codes made up most Medicaid payments under Pathology and Laboratory Procedures in Lockesburg.

When comparing years, Medicaid payments in this service category in Lockesburg climbed by 2.4% from 2023 to 2024, while payments across all Medicaid claim categories in the city rose 28% during the same timeframe.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the total federal and state Medicaid outlay in fiscal 2023 was approximately $871.7 billion, representing about 18% of all national health expenditures and showing substantial growth from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 crisis.

This jump marks an increase of nearly 40% over a few years, largely fueled by expanded enrollment and heightened usage during the pandemic and its aftermath.

Recent federal budget changes under the Trump administration included major proposals to trim federal Medicaid contributions and modify the structure of the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion over 10 years. The law also brings in measures such as work requirements and increased cost-sharing, potentially reducing benefits and funding for certain enrollees. As a result, more costs could shift to states, and the pace of federal Medicaid funding growth may slow, even as the program continues to cover millions of Americans.

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.