Carthage Medicaid COVID-19 claims totaled $24,092 in 2024, with nearly half from pandemic peak

Carthage saw a minimum of $24,092 in Medicaid payments in 2024 for services reported using HCPCS codes designated for COVID-19 care, federal data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows.

Medicaid, operated by individual states with joint state and federal funding, provides health insurance to low-income people, seniors, children and individuals with disabilities, and represents a major segment of the U.S. health care landscape. More about Medicaid’s funding can be found here.

Because taxpayer money supports Medicaid payments, local changes in claimed amounts illustrate how community public health resources are allocated.

This data reflects COVID-19–related claims identified by HCPCS codes labeled as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in their billing references. Therefore, only services explicitly categorized as COVID-19 in billing records are included, and other pandemic-related care under different classifications is not represented.

In comparison, Ripley reported the state’s highest total of Medicaid payments connected to COVID-19 services in Mississippi for 2024, amounting to $437,540 in claims.

The average Medicaid claim for COVID-19–specific services per provider in Carthage was $12,046, compared to the state’s average of $22,101.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data reveals that total federal and state Medicaid spending rose to $871.7 billion during fiscal year 2023, comprising around 18% of all national health care expenditures. This marks a substantial increase from the $613.5 billion spent in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

This 40% growth in just a few years was driven largely by more people enrolling and using benefits throughout and following the pandemic.

Bills passed by Congress during the Trump administration proposed notable decreases to federal Medicaid funds and major program restructuring. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is estimated to reduce federal Medicaid expenditures by more than $1 trillion in the forthcoming decade and bring forth requirements such as work verification and greater cost sharing, which may lower coverage and federal assistance for some recipients. These adjustments are poised to shift a larger financial responsibility onto states and curb the overall expansion of federal Medicaid contributions, even as the program continues to provide for millions.

Note: Numbers only include HCPCS codes described specifically for COVID-19 services; totals do not account for all health spending tied to the pandemic.

Data referenced in this article is sourced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The original dataset is available here.