99499 Medicaid reimbursement rate by state (2026)
Physician and practitioner services (fee schedule). Medicaid pays a median of $35.15 for 99499 across 14 states, from $5.38 in Massachusetts to $330.36 in South Dakota.
- States publishing
- 14
- National median
- $35.15units vary by state
- Lowest
- $5.38Massachusetts
- Highest
- $330.36South Dakota
What does Medicaid pay for 99499?
14 state Medicaid programs publish a fee-for-service rate for 99499. The national median is $35.15 (units differ between states). South Dakota pays the most, $330.36, and Massachusetts the least, $5.38, a 61.4x spread.
99499 rate by state: highest, middle and lowest
One like-for-like fee-for-service rate per state, ranked. The workspace lists all 14 states with every variant, modifier and effective date.
How to read this table
- Order. States are listed from the highest published rate to the lowest. No single unit is shared by 8 or more states for 99499, so the order is by published amount and is not a like-for-like rank.
- Medicaid rate. The most the state's fee-for-service program pays for one unit, as published. 8 of the 14 states list more than one rate for 99499, by modifier, provider type or setting; the table shows the one that matches the provider level and setting used across states, without add-ons.
- Unit. Of the 14 states, 1 publish 99499 per day, 1 per session and 1 per unit, and 11 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
- Per hour. 99499 is not billed in time units in these states, so no hourly figure is shown.
- Managed-care plans. The rule the state sets for its plans on this rate. What each rule means is explained below.
- % of Medicare. No Medicare physician fee schedule amount is on file for 99499, so there is no percentage.
- Source and date. Each Source link opens the state's own document; “since” is the date the rate took effect.
Why 99499 rates differ between states
Published rates for 99499 run from $5.38 in Massachusetts to $330.36 in South Dakota, a 61.4x gap in the same unit. Half the states pay more than the median of $35.15 and half pay less. The usual reasons for a spread like this in physician & professional rates:
- Modifiers such as professional or technical component, bilateral, multiple procedure and assistant at surgery change the amount paid, and states apply them with their own percentages.
- Some states pay physician services as a percentage of the Medicare fee schedule; others keep a schedule of their own that may not have been rebased for years.
- Primary-care and pediatric add-ons, enhanced rates for certain specialties and targeted increases for access problems change individual codes without moving the rest of the schedule.
Timing matters too. 5 states set the current rate for 99499 in 2026 or later, while 4 states still pay a rate that took effect in 2022 or earlier. A state that has not updated its rate in years will drift down the ranking as others raise theirs.
What managed-care plans pay for 99499
What a plan pays for 99499 is negotiated privately, but the state decides how much room there is to negotiate. Here is how the rules break down across the 14 states.
In 4 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 5 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. In 1 state, the service is paid outside the plans or through a state-directed payment. The rule for the remaining 4 states is not classified yet.
- Plans negotiate; the published rate applies out of network (5 states). In-network rates can be above or below the published rate. The published rate is the benchmark both sides know, and the fallback if no contract is signed.
- Plans must pay at least the published rate (2 states). The published rate is your floor. Negotiate up from it, and if a plan pays less, the contract provision is the basis for a payment dispute.
- The state sets the plan rate (1 state). There is little to negotiate on price. Contracting is about network participation, authorization and billing terms.
- Paid by the state, outside the plans (1 state). Bill the state's Medicaid program, not the plan, at the published rate. There is no plan contract to negotiate for this service.
- Plans must pass rate increases through (1 state). Watch the state's rate notices, and check that plan payments change on the same effective date. The base rate itself may still be negotiated.
Plan-negotiated rates are never estimated here. To see the rule and its citation for a particular state, open that state's managed-care page, for example South Dakota managed care.
Units and billing for 99499
99499 is a CPT evaluation and management code in the physician & professional line, billed mostly by physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other licensed practitioners. Evaluation and management codes are billed once per visit. The code itself sets the level of the visit, so there is no time unit to multiply, and the setting (office, hospital, facility) decides which code applies.
Where a state publishes separate facility and non-facility amounts, the non-facility (office) amount is usually higher because the practice carries the overhead. Practitioners who are not physicians are often paid a reduced percentage of the published amount, so check the schedule for the reduction that applies to your provider type.
Before billing, confirm the rate, unit and any modifier with the state's current schedule or the plan: the amounts here are as published, not a guarantee of payment.
Frequently asked questions
What does Medicaid pay for 99499?
It depends on the state. Of the 14 states with a published fee-for-service rate, the median is $35.15. South Dakota pays the most ($330.36) and Massachusetts the least ($5.38).
Which state pays the highest Medicaid rate for 99499?
South Dakota, at $330.36, effective 2026-07-01.
Which state pays the lowest Medicaid rate for 99499?
Massachusetts, at $5.38, effective 2025-12-01.
What unit is 99499 billed in?
Of the 14 states, 1 publish 99499 per day, 1 per session and 1 per unit, and 11 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
Do managed-care plans pay the same rate for 99499?
Not necessarily. In 4 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 5 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. In 1 state, the service is paid outside the plans or through a state-directed payment. The rule for the remaining 4 states is not classified yet. Each rule is cited to the plan contract, statute or notice in the workspace.