At least $3,006 in Friona Medicaid claims tied to COVID-19 care in 2024

Friona Medicaid claims for HCPCS codes specifically tied to COVID-19 totaled at least $3,006 in 2024, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. That amount was 35% higher than in 2023, when area providers submitted $2,227 in claims for those same codes.

Medicaid is a public health insurance program operated by the states with funding from both the federal and state governments. Its coverage includes low-income people and families, older adults, children, and individuals with disabilities, making it a major piece of the U.S. health system.

As Medicaid relies on taxpayer funding, shifts in local billing can illustrate how public health care funds are directed within a community.

This analysis selected COVID-19 services based on HCPCS codes marked “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in claim descriptions or reference data. Therefore, the totals reflect only services directly labeled as pandemic-related in claims and do not include related care billed under other or more general codes.

For additional context, Houston registered the highest Medicaid payments in Texas connected to COVID-19 services in 2024, totaling $5,684,946 in claims.

In 2024, Parmer County Community Hospital Inc was the sole provider filing Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related care within the city.

Virus-specific services made up a notable portion of Medicaid payment growth in Friona during the pandemic period.

Total Medicaid spending in all other claim categories climbed by $102,994 from 2020 to 2024, an increase of 214.3%.

Before the pandemic, Friona’s average yearly Medicaid payments were $1,018 in the two prior years.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid expenditures totaled about $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, making up roughly 18% of all national health expenditures, a significant rise from approximately $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This rise, about a 40% increase within a few years, was mainly due to more people enrolling and greater usage during and following the period of the pandemic.

Recent federal budget measures introduced under the Trump administration included proposals to cut federal Medicaid funds and change how the program operates. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. The legislation features new policies including work requirements and higher cost-sharing aimed at decreasing both coverage and funding for some enrollees. These measures could shift more Medicaid costs to states and restrain growth in federal contributions as the program continues to cover tens of millions of people.

Note: Includes HCPCS codes explicitly labeled for COVID-19 services; totals do not represent all pandemic-related health care spending.

Information used in this report was sourced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. To view the source data, click here.