Bryson City Medicaid providers billed $41,325 for COVID-19 services in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid providers in Bryson City claimed at least $41,325 for services linked to COVID-19, based on records from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, a major part of the U.S. health care system, is operated by states and financed through joint federal and state contributions. The program supports low-income people and families along with seniors, children, and those with disabilities.

Because taxpayer money funds Medicaid, shifts in billing levels illustrate how community health care dollars are distributed locally.

Researchers determined which services counted as COVID-19–related by using HCPCS codes labeled or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing descriptions or reference materials. Accordingly, these totals represent only services directly marked as COVID-related in billing records and may exclude care linked to the pandemic billed under other codes.

As a point of comparison, Charlotte reported the state’s highest Medicaid payment total for COVID-19 services in 2024, with $2,373,883 in virus-specific claims.

Records indicate only Dlp Swain County Hospital, LLC submitted claims for COVID-19–linked Medicaid services within Bryson City that year.

COVID-19–related services made up a notable portion of Medicaid spending growth in Bryson City during the pandemic years.

Average annual Medicaid payments in the city amounted to $1,692,889 in the two years before the pandemic began.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that combined state and federal Medicaid outlays hit approximately $871.7 billion for fiscal 2023, making up about 18% of all U.S. health expenditures—a sharp rise from around $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This represents a nearly 40% increase driven mostly by an uptick in enrollment and greater service use during and following the pandemic period.

Recent federal legislation approved under the Trump administration introduced notable proposals to scale back federal Medicaid funding and alter its structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion in the next decade. It also brings policy changes like work requirements and increased cost-sharing, potentially affecting coverage and financial support for some beneficiaries. These measures may lead to larger cost shares for states and curb the expansion of federal Medicaid assistance, even as the program remains vital for tens of millions of Americans.

Note: Totals include only HCPCS codes specifically designated for COVID-19 services and do not account for all pandemic-related health expenditures.

Details in this article are based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. You can access the data here.