North Carolina Medicaid spending for dental services jumps 15.1% in 2024

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows that North Carolina’s Medicaid payments for Dental Services totaled $89,786,883 in 2024. This figure represents a 15.1% increase from 2023, when the state recorded $78,019,072 in provider claims.

Medicaid, a joint federal and state public health insurance program, provides coverage to low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. It is a key component of the U.S. health care landscape, with funding derived from both federal and state government sources; for more information, visit this explanation.

As Medicaid disbursements are funded by taxpayers, local fluctuations in billing can help illustrate how communities allocate public dollars toward health care.

The “Dental Services” category groups Medicaid claims by care type, based on set HCPCS and CPT code groupings. In this analysis, service codes were allocated into one category using established numeric ranges and prefixes to compare related services over time and prevent overlap, supporting rankings accuracy.

Some service categories include a mix of procedures. For these categories, related care that is often billed together under Medicaid, such as appointments, diagnostic services, and therapy, has been included within the broader category.

Over a 5-year span leading up to 2024, Medicaid spending on Dental Services in North Carolina grew by $35,107,451, or 64.2%. Growth rates rose faster during select periods, particularly in 2021 and 2023, resulting in noticeable year-over-year gains.

Statewide, Dental Services payments were allocated broadly, but certain ZIP codes received a disproportionately large share. In 2024, ZIP Code 27406 led with $3,661,945 in claims (4.1% of the state total), followed by ZIP Code 28719 with $3,443,187 (3.8%) and ZIP Code 28211, which received $2,645,822 (2.9%).

All together, the top 3 ZIP codes accounted for 10.9% of North Carolina Medicaid payments linked to Dental Services for the year.

To put this in perspective, total Medicaid payments in North Carolina—across all categories—went up by 3.2% from 2023 to 2024.

Spending continued to increase in numerous service areas; for 2024, Dental Services was among the top 9 payment categories statewide.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined Medicaid spending at the federal and state levels reached approximately $871.7 billion for fiscal 2023. This represented roughly 18% of nationwide health expenditures, a steep rise from about $613.5 billion in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic period.

The growth—close to 40% over just a few years—was largely driven by expanded enrollment and increased service use during and after the pandemic.

Newly enacted federal budget laws from the Trump administration include major proposals to trim federal Medicaid contributions and overhaul elements of the program. Notably, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, is estimated to reduce federal Medicaid outlays by more than $1 trillion during the next decade. The legislation enacts changes such as work requirements and greater cost-sharing that may decrease eligibility and funding for certain recipients, putting more financial pressure on states as the federal government’s role shrinks, even as Medicaid continues to support tens of millions nationally.