Medicaid pathology and lab payments in Santa Fe Springs surge to $599,787 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Santa Fe Springs submitted $599,787 in claims for Pathology and Laboratory Procedures, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This amount reflects a 3797.3% rise over 2023, when claims for this service category totaled $15,390.

Medicaid operates as a state-managed public health insurance program funded jointly by federal and state governments. It provides medical coverage for low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, making it one of the country’s largest health care programs.

Given that Medicaid funds are sourced from taxpayers, shifts in community billing levels highlight how public health dollars are distributed locally.

The “Pathology and Laboratory Procedures” grouping incorporates Medicaid-billed services organized by standardized HCPCS and CPT code groupings. For this examination, each billing code was allocated to a distinct service group using set code prefixes and numerical ranges, ensuring combined services could be analyzed clearly, avoiding duplicate counting and maintaining accurate annual rankings.

While Medicaid expenditure rose across numerous service categories, Pathology and Laboratory Procedures ranked as the fifth-highest category by total payments in Santa Fe Springs for 2024.

Statewide in California, Pathology and Laboratory Procedures was also the fifth-largest category for Medicaid payments that year.

Looking at the five years preceding 2024, Medicaid payments for Pathology and Laboratory Procedures in Santa Fe Springs rose by $581,543, or 3187.7%. Growth was particularly rapid in certain years, with substantial increases recorded in 2021 and 2022.

Spending for Pathology and Laboratory Procedures was seen throughout Santa Fe Springs, though payments were focused within a small number of ZIP codes. For 2024, the top ZIP code, 90670, received $599,786 in Medicaid claims for the category. Across the city, this ZIP code alone accounted for all Medicaid payments for Pathology and Laboratory Procedures during that year.

Medicaid outlays in this service category were further concentrated within a select group of codes.

Between 2024 and 2023, Santa Fe Springs saw Medicaid claims for Pathology and Laboratory Procedures grow by 3797.3%, compared with a 6% total change for all Medicaid claims categories in the city during the same span.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid spending was approximately $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, which made up about 18% of national health care expenditures. That is a sharp increase from about $613.5 billion in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This growth is nearly 40% over just a few years, influenced primarily by increases in enrollment and higher service utilization during and immediately following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget actions under the Trump administration have introduced several major proposals to reduce funding for Medicaid and restructure the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to cut more than $1 trillion in federal Medicaid spending over the next decade. The legislation establishes work requirements and more cost-sharing, potentially reducing coverage and funding for some beneficiaries. These measures are expected to increase state financial responsibilities and cap federal Medicaid contribution growth, 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.