Columbus Medicaid pays more than $186,000 for COVID-19 services in 2024

Columbus saw at least $186,717 in Medicaid disbursements for services billed under COVID-19–specific HCPCS codes in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, a public health insurance system managed at the state level and funded jointly by the federal and state governments, provides coverage for low-income families, children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities, making it a major part of the U.S. health care landscape.

Because these payments originate from taxpayers, shifts in area billing reflect how local public health care resources are distributed.

This report identifies COVID-19–related services through HCPCS codes that carry “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in their billing descriptions or reference listings. Therefore, the data includes only claims clearly linked in billing data as COVID-related and omits pandemic-linked care captured under broader or differently described codes.

Ripley reported the highest Medicaid amount in Mississippi for COVID-19 service claims in 2024, reaching $437,540 for virus-specific payments.

Two providers in Columbus submitted Medicaid claims for COVID-19–classified services during 2024. Of these, the COVID Specific code represented $180,570, dominating the billing.

The average Medicaid claim related to COVID-19 in Columbus was $93,359 per provider, exceeding the Mississippi average of $22,101.

During the pandemic, claims coded specifically for COVID-19 comprised a sizable portion of Medicaid payment growth in Columbus.

Across all other payment categories, total Medicaid claims increased by $2,528,605 from 2020 through 2024—a rise of 15.7%.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that combined spending for the federal and state Medicaid system neared $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, accounting for about 18% of all U.S. health expenditures, a significant rise from $613.5 billion in 2019 before the pandemic.

This expansion marks growth of approximately 40% over several years, driven by increased enrollment as well as higher levels of service use during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Recent Trump administration federal budgets have included major proposals to curtail federal Medicaid outlays and alter the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, outlines more than $1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts over 10 years. It introduces requirements like work stipulations and increased cost-sharing that could impact beneficiary coverage and funding, potentially passing more fiscal responsibility to states while slowing federal Medicaid growth even as it continues to insure tens of millions nationwide.

Note: Only HCPCS codes explicitly identified as COVID-19 services are included; totals do not account for all pandemic-driven care spending.

The data in this story is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Find the original dataset here.