Bridgeton recorded $381 in Medicaid claims for COVID-19 care in 2024

Public data reveals Bridgeton recorded a minimum of $381 in Medicaid payments during 2024 for services explicitly billed under HCPCS codes associated with COVID-19, as documented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, administered by state governments and funded through a federal-state partnership, provides health insurance for low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. The program plays a major role in U.S. health care.

Since Medicaid is financed by taxpayer dollars, shifts in local claim totals offer insight into how public health care funding is distributed at the community level.

For this report, COVID-19–related HCPCS codes included those marked or classified as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing details or reported data. As a result, these figures strictly summarize services designated as COVID-specific in submitted claims and do not capture broader pandemic-related care billed under more general medical codes.

Fenton led all cities in Missouri with the most Medicaid dollars—$361,948—in COVID-19-related payments in 2024.

In Bridgeton, Ssm Health Care St. Louis submitted the city’s only Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in 2024.

COVID-19–specific services contributed significantly to the growth of Medicaid spending in Bridgeton throughout pandemic years.

All other categories of Medicaid claims saw combined payments rise by $10,143,689 from 2020 to 2024—a 95.8% jump.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports combined federal and state Medicaid expenditures were around $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, making up approximately 18% of total national health consumption. That is up from about $613.5 billion spent in 2019, before the pandemic.

The nearly 40% increase is attributed mainly to expanded enrollment and higher service use during and in the period following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget measures under former President Donald Trump featured major proposals to cut federal Medicaid funds and modify its structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” approved in 2025, is expected to trim federal Medicaid contributions by over $1 trillion across the next decade. The law brings requirements for work and increased cost-sharing that may reduce or tighten coverage for some enrollees. These policies prompt more cost responsibilities for states and are set to limit federal Medicaid funding growth even as the program covers tens of millions of Americans.

Note: Totals include only COVID-19–specific HCPCS codes and do not encompass all pandemic-driven health costs.

Information cited in this article was drawn from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The source data is accessible here.