Ashdown Medicaid paid $2,669 or more for COVID-19 services in 2024

In Ashdown, Medicaid disbursements surpassed $2,669 for 2024, representing amounts for services billed with HCPCS codes designated for COVID-19. This information comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Priors cited refer to the latest available earlier year for which data exist.

Medicaid is the public health program administered by states and financed collaboratively by federal and state governments. It covers children, people with disabilities, low-income families and adults, and older adults, making it one of the largest components of U.S. health care.

Given that Medicaid money comes from taxpayers, fluctuations in a community’s billing levels reveal how public funds are distributed within health care locally.

This report identifies COVID-19 services according to HCPCS codes described or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing data or reference materials. Therefore, the payment totals only reflect services explicitly labeled as COVID-related and may exclude pandemic-related care billed under other codes.

For further perspective, Jonesboro topped Arkansas cities with $328,664 paid in Medicaid claims associated with COVID-19 care in 2024.

Records show Rachel C. King Md Pa was the sole provider in Ashdown submitting claims for Medicaid reimbursements related to COVID-19 services in 2024.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that federal and state Medicaid spending reached approximately $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, or about 18% of the nation’s total health expenditures—a stark jump from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak.

This translates to an increase of nearly 40% over several years, primarily due to greater enrollment and use of medical services throughout and shortly after the pandemic era.

Recent actions by Congress under the Trump administration enacted major changes reducing federal Medicaid involvement and restructuring its administration. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, introduces over $1 trillion in projected federal Medicaid reductions over the coming decade, including policies like work requirements and additional cost responsibilities for patients. Experts estimate these policy shifts will likely increase state costs and constrain federal funding growth, though Medicaid remains a critical resource for tens of millions nationwide.

Note: Totals are limited to HCPCS codes clearly identified as intended for COVID-19 services; these figures may not include all care provided in connection with the pandemic.

The information in this analysis was obtained via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The original dataset is available here.