Hackensack Medicaid COVID-19 service billings total $11,571 in 2024

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows Hackensack Medicaid payments reached at least $11,571 in 2024 for services coded under HCPCS codes associated with COVID-19.

Medicaid, a state-administered public health insurance program funded jointly by federal and state governments, serves low-income individuals and families, seniors, children and people with disabilities. It remains one of the largest components of the U.S. health care system.

Since Medicaid spending originates with taxpayers, shifts in local claims demonstrate how public health dollars are used within a community.

This study identified COVID-19–related services by using HCPCS codes with billing or reference data specifying “COVID-19” or “coronavirus.” Thus, these amounts only reflect services billed with codes directly describing COVID-19 and exclude pandemic-related care billed under different or broader codes.

For perspective, Clifton led New Jersey in Medicaid claims tied to COVID-19 services in 2024, totaling $1,725,516 for virus-related billing.

Two Hackensack providers filed Medicaid COVID-19–related service claims in 2024. The most billed code was COVID Specific, accounting for $10,095.

Hackensack’s average per-provider Medicaid billing for COVID-19–related services was $5,786, which is below the state average of $33,367.

COVID-19–specific services contributed significantly to the increase in Hackensack’s Medicaid spending during pandemic years.

Total Medicaid payments for all other claim categories in Hackensack rose by $93,423,660 from 2020 through 2024, marking a 52.4% rise.

In the two years immediately before the pandemic, average annual Medicaid payments in Hackensack were $197,978,231.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid spending by federal and state sources reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up roughly 18% of the nation’s total health expenditures and rising from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This increase represents about 40% growth in several years, primarily driven by higher enrollment and greater use of services during and after the pandemic.

Federal budget measures under the Trump administration have proposed substantial cuts to federal Medicaid support and various program changes. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid funding by over $1 trillion over 10 years and introduces new work requirements and greater cost-sharing—policies that could affect coverage for some enrollees. These adjustments are likely to shift costs to states and curb the growth of federal Medicaid assistance as the program continues to serve millions of Americans.

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

Information for this article is based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Source data is available here.