In 2024, Medicaid providers in Boulder billed $689,632 for services in the Durable Medical Equipment category, as reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The amount represented a 156.4% rise from 2023, when submissions for the same services totaled $268,972.
Medicaid is a state-administered public health insurance program financed jointly by state and federal governments. It provides health coverage to low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, making it a major component of the nation’s health care structure.
Because Medicaid is taxpayer-funded, fluctuations in local billing help illustrate how public health expenditures are distributed within communities.
The “Durable Medical Equipment” designation encompasses a set of Medicaid-billed services grouped by type of care, using commonly recognized HCPCS and CPT code ranges. To maintain accurate rankings and avoid double counting, this analysis assigned each billing code to one service category by applying consistent code prefixes and numerical segments to group related items over time.
Durable Medical Equipment ranked as the fifth-highest Medicaid service payment category in Boulder in 2024, according to spending data.
Statewide in Colorado, Durable Medical Equipment placed eighth for total Medicaid payments in 2024.
Over the past five years, Medicaid payments related to Durable Medical Equipment in Boulder grew by $503,952, marking a 271.4% increase. Certain years, such as 2021 and 2020, saw periods of more rapid growth.
Although spending for Durable Medical Equipment services occurred throughout Boulder, payments were concentrated in only a few ZIP codes. In 2024, areas 80303 and 80301 accounted for the entirety of Medicaid payments in the category, with totals at $685,920 and $3,711 respectively. Combined, these two ZIP codes represented 100% of spending for Durable Medical Equipment in the city during the year.
Within Durable Medical Equipment services, Medicaid funds were focused on a select set of billing codes.
Between 2024 and 2023, Boulder saw a 156.4% increase in Medicaid outlays for Durable Medical Equipment, compared to a 22% change across all Medicaid claim types in the city in that period.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data show that joint federal and state Medicaid spending reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, comprising nearly 18% of total U.S. health spending—a significant increase from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rise reflects an approximately 40% growth over several years, largely driven by broadened enrollment and heightened use of services during and after the pandemic.
Federal budget measures introduced during the Trump administration have offered major proposals to curtail Medicaid funding and restructure the program. For example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is anticipated to reduce federal Medicaid expenditures by more than $1 trillion over the coming decade and establishes initiatives such as work requirements and increased cost-sharing, which could limit coverage and funding for some enrollees. These adjustments are projected to shift additional costs to states and potentially check federal Medicaid growth, even as the program continues to serve tens of millions of U.S. residents.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $185,680 | 68.6% |
| 2021 | $324,103 | 74.5% |
| 2022 | $326,184 | 0.6% |
| 2023 | $268,972 | -17.5% |
| 2024 | $689,632 | 156.4% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $2,794,210 | 23.2% |
| 2 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $2,677,755 | 22.3% |
| 3 | Evaluation and Management | $2,507,823 | 20.8% |
| 4 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $1,403,834 | 11.7% |
| 5 | Durable Medical Equipment | $689,632 | 5.7% |
| 6 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $499,954 | 4.2% |
| 7 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $415,202 | 3.5% |
| 8 | Dental Services | $367,979 | 3.1% |
| 9 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $241,507 | 2% |
| 10 | Procedures / Professional Services | $145,040 | 1.2% |
| 11 | Vision Services | $125,430 | 1% |
| 12 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $49,563 | 0.4% |
| 13 | Radiology Procedures | $43,833 | 0.4% |
| 14 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $27,682 | 0.2% |
| 15 | Surgery | $23,775 | 0.2% |
| 16 | Temporary Codes | $11,593 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Anesthesia | $5,393 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| E0603 | Electric breast pump | $436,530 | 12 |
| E0202 | Phototherapy light w/ photom | $245,260 | 12 |
| E1399 | Durable medical equipment mi | $5,832 | 3 |
| E0601 | Cont airway pressure device | $2,008 | 11 |
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.
