Elizabethton Medicaid COVID-19 payments reached $104,265 in 2024, marking a 68.7% rise

Medicaid providers in Elizabethton billed a minimum of $104,265 in 2024 for services assigned HCPCS codes specifically for COVID-19, based on figures in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This amount reflects a 68.7% rise versus 2023, when billing for those codes totaled $61,801.

Medicaid, a joint program overseen by federal and state governments, covers low-income people, seniors, children and those with disabilities, making it a major component of the U.S. health system. More details on funding are available from the Commonwealth Fund.

Since Medicaid funding comes from public funds, fluctuations in local billing patterns provide insight into how health care resources are distributed within a community.

Researchers identified COVID-19–related services through HCPCS codes that include “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in their billing descriptions or categorization. The total reflects services directly labeled for COVID-19 in the billing system and does not count additional pandemic-related treatments billed under broader categories.

Spring Hill, for comparison, had the highest total for Medicaid COVID-19 payments within Tennessee in 2024, amounting to $4,274,403 in related claims.

The average Medicaid payment per provider for COVID-19 services in Elizabethton reached $52,133, which outpaces the statewide average of $43,799.

Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show that combined state and federal Medicaid expenditures were roughly $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, about 18% of all U.S. health care spending. That is up from $613.5 billion before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

This post-pandemic rise equals more than a 40% growth in just a few years, fueled by larger enrollment and increased service utilization during and following pandemic conditions.

Major federal budget legislation signed under the Trump administration proposes considerable changes to Medicaid funding. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is estimated to trim more than $1 trillion from federal Medicaid spending over the next decade and introduces work requirements and higher cost-sharing that could result in lower funding and coverage for some recipients. These policies are expected to place a greater financial burden on states and restrict the expansion of federal Medicaid support, even as enrollment remains significant.

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

This article draws on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The source can be accessed here.