Thornton Medicaid providers billed $14,782,260 in 2024 for services grouped under Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This figure shows a 25.5% increase over 2023, when the total for these services was $11,777,358.
Medicaid, a state-operated and jointly federally funded health insurance initiative, provides coverage for low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. It accounts for a significant share of the U.S. health care system, as noted by the Commonwealth Fund.
Since Medicaid spending uses taxpayer dollars, changes in local claims activity highlight shifts in how public health care funding is distributed in the community.
The “Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment” grouping includes Medicaid services categorized by care type using standardized HCPCS and CPT code prefixes and numeric ranges. For this reporting, each billing code was assigned exclusively to one service category, ensuring related procedures were examined together and total spending and rankings reflect distinct groups without duplication.
Although Medicaid spending rose in more than one category, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment topped all categories in Thornton for total Medicaid payments in 2024.
Across Colorado, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment category was the third-largest by total Medicaid payments statewide for 2024.
Over the five years through 2024, Medicaid expenditures connected to Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment in Thornton grew by $8,184,608, representing a 124.1% increase. Some of the sharpest annual rises were observed in 2020 and 2023.
Despite payouts for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment services being dispersed citywide, most payments were clustered in a small number of ZIP codes. In 2024, Medicaid billings in ZIP code 80602 represented $10,473,689, while 80229 accounted for $3,097,476 and 80260 reported $1,211,093. Together, these 3 ZIP codes comprised 100% of Medicaid payments for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment in Thornton that year.
Within this treatment category, a limited range of billing codes represented most Medicaid-paid services.
Between 2024 and 2023, Medicaid payments for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment in Thornton rose 25.5%. In comparison, payments across all Medicaid service categories in the city increased 13.8% over the same time frame.
Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows combined federal and state Medicaid spending reached roughly $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. That sum, about 18% of national health expenses, was a marked increase from the $613.5 billion reported in 2019 before COVID-19.
This represents approximately 40% spending growth in only a few years, largely attributed to increased enrollment and usage during and following the pandemic.
Recent federal budget changes under the Trump administration featured major proposals to trim federal Medicaid payments and restructure the program. Under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, federal Medicaid support is set to decline by over $1 trillion in the coming decade. The law brings new requirements such as work rules and increased cost-sharing, changes that may shrink coverage or funding for certain enrollees, shift more costs to states, and potentially curb the program’s future growth despite its continuing role for tens of millions in the U.S.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $6,597,652 | 45.7% |
| 2021 | $7,573,334 | 14.8% |
| 2022 | $9,231,374 | 21.9% |
| 2023 | $11,777,358 | 27.6% |
| 2024 | $14,782,259 | 25.5% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $14,782,259 | 27.7% |
| 2 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $11,246,251 | 21.1% |
| 3 | Evaluation and Management | $8,748,245 | 16.4% |
| 4 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $6,303,364 | 11.8% |
| 5 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $5,649,748 | 10.6% |
| 6 | Dental Services | $2,307,881 | 4.3% |
| 7 | Vision Services | $1,775,657 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $772,560 | 1.4% |
| 9 | Radiology Procedures | $757,099 | 1.4% |
| 10 | Surgery | $543,315 | 1% |
| 11 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $191,956 | 0.4% |
| 12 | Durable Medical Equipment | $157,640 | 0.3% |
| 13 | Procedures / Professional Services | $39,602 | 0.1% |
| 14 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $20,868 | <0.1% |
| 15 | Anesthesia | $13,533 | <0.1% |
| 16 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $8,431 | <0.1% |
| 17 | Temporary Codes | $2,041 | <0.1% |
| 18 | Administrative, Miscellaneous and Investigational | $70 | <0.1% |
| 19 | Hearing Services | $0 | <0.1% |
| 19 | Pathology and Laboratory Services | $0 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| H0038 | Self-help/peer svc per 15min | $12,854,538 | 41 |
| H0005 | Alcohol and/or drug services | $555,741 | 33 |
| H0004 | Alcohol and/or drug services | $450,140 | 43 |
| H0023 | Alcohol and/or drug outreach | $229,137 | 60 |
| H2014 | Skills train and dev, 15 min | $204,732 | 32 |
| H2019 | Ther behav svc, per 15 min | $151,062 | 12 |
| H0002 | Alcohol and/or drug screenin | $123,532 | 61 |
| H0046 | Mental health service, nos | $91,419 | 11 |
| H0001 | Alcohol and/or drug assess | $49,034 | 17 |
| H0032 | Mh svc plan dev by non-md | $24,649 | 11 |
| H0006 | Alcohol and/or drug services | $17,672 | 11 |
| H0036 | Comm psy face-face per 15min | $13,005 | 7 |
| H2017 | Psysoc rehab svc, per 15 min | $8,581 | 4 |
| H2000 | Comp multidisipln evaluation | $5,564 | 8 |
| H0034 | Med trng & support per 15min | $2,620 | 12 |
| H2023 | Supported employ, per 15 min | $454 | 4 |
| H2011 | Crisis interven svc, 15 min | $261 | 1 |
| H2027 | Psychoed svc, per 15 min | $110 | 4 |
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.
