Belmont recorded $40,533 in Medicaid claims for COVID-19 services in 2024

At least $40,533 in Medicaid payments in Belmont were made in 2024 for services billed with HCPCS codes specifically linked to COVID-19, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, one of the nation’s largest public health insurance programs, is overseen by the states and financed together by federal and state governments. It provides coverage for low-income people, families, seniors, children, and those with disabilities.

Since Medicaid is funded by taxpayers, local changes in billing trends highlight how public health dollars are distributed in communities.

This analysis identified COVID-19–related services using HCPCS codes designated as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”–related within billing or reference datasets. Therefore, these figures reflect only claims with explicit COVID designations and do not include care that may have been billed under broader codes without such labels.

In North Carolina, Charlotte led the state for Medicaid payments connected to COVID-19 service codes in 2024, with $2,373,883 in claims.

Two Belmont providers filed Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in 2024, with the code COVID Specific responsible for $30,725 of that total.

On average, Belmont providers received $20,266 in Medicaid payments for these COVID-related services, which is below the statewide provider average of $37,126.

During the pandemic years, services coded for COVID-19 contributed to a noted rise in Medicaid spending in Belmont.

Medicaid payments across other claim types climbed by $2,018,461 from 2020 to 2024, marking a 271.5% increase.

In the two years before the pandemic, Belmont’s average yearly Medicaid payment stood at $1,013,159.

Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows combined federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached about $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023. This represented approximately 18% of the nation’s total health spending, up significantly compared to roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This growth—estimated at about 40% over several years—was driven mainly by expanded enrollment and a jump in service use during and following the pandemic period.

Recent federal budget legislation under the Trump administration introduced several major proposals to cut federal Medicaid funding and alter its structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid payments by more than $1 trillion over a decade and also brings in policies such as work requirements and increased cost-sharing, potentially limiting coverage and funding for certain groups. These adjustments are poised to shift more financial responsibility to states and curb federal Medicaid growth, even as the program remains a significant source of coverage for millions.

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

The information for this article is sourced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. You can access the underlying data here.