Guntown Medicaid spent at least $36,799 on COVID-19 services in 2024

At least $36,799 in Medicaid payments were reported in Guntown in 2024 for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically tied to COVID-19, based on information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, a public insurance program administered by the states and financed by both federal and state governments, provides health coverage to low-income citizens, seniors, children, and those with disabilities. The program makes up a significant component of the health care system in the United States.

Because taxpayer funds support Medicaid, trends in local billing demonstrate how public health spending is distributed within a community.

For this report, services related to COVID-19 were identified by examining HCPCS codes marked or described as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing records or supplemental data. The totals reflect only those claims clearly designated as COVID-related and do not account for pandemic care billed under broader codes.

Ripley posted the highest total of Medicaid payments linked to COVID-19 services in Mississippi for 2024, submitting $437,540 in virus-related claims.

Records indicate Elite Care Family Medicine, LLC was the sole provider submitting Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in Guntown during the year.

During the years marked by the pandemic, Medicaid spending on COVID-19–specific services was a significant reason for overall payment increases in Guntown.

Medicaid payments for all other categories in Guntown rose by $40,777 from 2020 to 2024, equating to an 18.2% gain.

In the two years before the pandemic, average annual Medicaid payments in the city averaged $146,523.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, about 18% of the nation’s health spending. That figure jumped from about $613.5 billion in 2019, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This change reflects an increase of about 40% over a few years, propelled by greater enrollment and use of services during and following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget measures under the Trump administration have brought major proposals to reduce federal Medicaid outlays and revise the program. As an example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in 2025, is estimated to trim over $1 trillion from Medicaid funding over 10 years, with measures like work requirements and higher cost-sharing potentially limiting benefits or support for some recipients. These changes may impose more expenses on states and restrict the expansion of federal Medicaid aid, even as the program continues to cover tens of millions of people nationwide.

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

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database supplied the data for this article. The original data source is available here.