Aberdeen’s Medicaid claims for COVID-19 services total at least $64,138 in 2024

At least $64,138 in Medicaid payments were made in 2024 in Aberdeen for services tagged to COVID-19-specific HCPCS codes, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, operated by the states and funded through both federal and state resources, covers low-income residents, families, children, the elderly, and those with disabilities, making it a foundational part of America’s health care landscape.

As Medicaid is publicly financed, shifts in local billing indicate where taxpayer-funded health care resources are directed within a community.

For this report, COVID-19–specific services were defined by HCPCS codes marked as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related in provider billing documentation or reference lists. Therefore, these totals include only those claims with explicit COVID-19 labeling and do not reflect pandemic care possibly classified under other medical codes.

Comparatively, Ripley had the highest total for COVID-19–linked Medicaid claims in Mississippi in 2024, amounting to $437,540.

For perspective, Aberdeen’s average Medicaid payment per provider for services associated with COVID-19 was $32,069—higher than the state average of $22,101.

During the pandemic, payments for COVID-19–specific medical services contributed notably to the overall growth in Medicaid expenditures in Aberdeen.

From 2020 to 2024, overall Medicaid spending across non-COVID claim categories in Aberdeen grew by $83,927, a 6% increase.

In the two years before the pandemic, the city saw an average annual Medicaid spending of $1,226,459.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal and state Medicaid outlays totaled about $871.7 billion for fiscal 2023—approximately 18% of all national health spending—which marks a significant rise from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, before the onset of COVID-19.

This growth, around 40% over several years, is mainly attributed to increased program enrollment and greater demand for health care services during and after the pandemic.

Recent federal budget actions under the Trump administration brought sizeable changes to Medicaid funding and structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, enacted in 2025, is expected to trim over $1 trillion from federal Medicaid spending across 10 years and introduce measures like work requirements and higher cost-sharing, potentially affecting coverage and funding for some eligible groups. These changes are likely to push additional costs to states and restrict the rate of federal Medicaid growth, while the program continues to serve millions nationwide.

Note: Includes only COVID-19–designated HCPCS codes; totals do not cover all pandemic-related health spending.

Some information in this article is sourced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The original source data is available here.