Colorado Medicaid pays $48.6 million for vision services in 2024

Total Medicaid spending for Vision Services in Colorado reached $48,638,937 in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This compares with provider claims of $46,985,934 in 2023, reflecting a 3.5% increase year over year.

Colorado Medicaid is a public health insurance program overseen by the state and jointly funded by state and federal governments. It provides health coverage for low-income people and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, forming a crucial part of the nation’s health care safety net.

Because Medicaid funding comes from taxpayers, trends in billing show how local public health dollars are spent in Colorado communities.

The “Vision Services” category groups Medicaid services according to the specific care provided, determined by standardized HCPCS and CPT code groupings. For these data, each billing code was assigned to a single service group using set code prefixes and number ranges to ensure related services are analyzed together and both double-counting and inaccuracies are avoided.

Where relevant, categories may encompass several types of procedures. In these instances, the category covers closely related care types commonly billed together within Medicaid, such as visits, diagnostics and therapeutic services.

Medicaid payments for Vision Services in Colorado rose by $26,261,885, or 117.4%, over the five years ending in 2024. Spending saw notable increases during certain recent periods, especially in 2021 and 2023.

While Medicaid spending in this category occurred across Colorado, payments in 2024 were highest in a small group of ZIP codes. That year, top ZIP Code 80014 led with payments totaling $2,735,939 (5.6%), followed by ZIP Code 81008 at $2,372,859 (4.9%), and ZIP Code 81005, which received $2,338,834 (4.8%).

Together, these top three ZIP codes accounted for 15.3% of all Medicaid payments to Vision Services in Colorado in 2024.

For context, Medicaid payments across all categories in the state increased by 2.7% between 2023 and 2024.

While multiple service categories saw rising spending under Medicaid, Vision Services ranked among the top nine categories statewide in payments for 2024.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid spending from both federal and state sources nationally reached about $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023. This makes up around 18% of all national health costs, rising sharply from nearly $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The jump represents an increase of about 40% in several years, fueled by more enrollment and higher use during and after the pandemic period.

Recent federal budget legislation approved under the Trump administration included measures reducing federal Medicaid spending and adjusting program structures. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is set to decrease federal Medicaid funding by over $1 trillion in the coming decade. The law brings changes such as work requirements and increased cost-sharing for some members, which could reduce coverage and federal funding. These actions are likely to transfer greater financial responsibility to states and limit the expansion of federal Medicaid support while the program continues to serve millions in the U.S.

Information for this report comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. You can find the source data here.