Lumberton Medicaid spending for COVID-19 services totaled $776,109 in 2024

At least $776,109 in Medicaid payments were made in Lumberton in 2024 for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically linked to COVID-19, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid is a government health insurance initiative administered by states and funded through federal and state contributions. The program covers low-income people and families, seniors, children, and those with disabilities, representing one of the key components of U.S. health care.

Fluctuations in Medicaid billing levels locally reflect how taxpayer-funded health care dollars are spent within a community.

This examination defined COVID-19–related services using HCPCS codes described as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-specific within billing information. These totals include only claims explicitly labeled as COVID-related, and do not account for pandemic care billed under more generic or alternate codes.

For reference, Charlotte had the highest Medicaid payments for COVID-19 services in North Carolina in 2024, with $2,373,883 in claims connected to the virus.

In Lumberton, three providers filed Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in 2024. The most frequently billed code was COVID Specific, totaling $680,880.

On average, each provider in Lumberton received $258,703 in Medicaid payments for COVID-19–specific services, exceeding the statewide provider average of $37,126.

Spending on COVID-19–specific services contributed notably to growth in Medicaid expenditures in Lumberton during the primary pandemic period.

All other Medicaid claim categories saw an increase of $52,753,412 from 2020 to 2024, an overall rise of 92.8%.

Annual average Medicaid payments in the two years before the pandemic in Lumberton were $58,037,768.

Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows combined federal and state Medicaid spending was about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up approximately 18% of total U.S. health care costs, rising from $613.5 billion in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

That marks an approximate 40% increase in only a few years, largely due to increased enrollment and greater health service use during and after the pandemic.

Congressional budget legislation enacted during the Trump administration included substantial proposals to decrease federal Medicaid outlays and alter the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” approved in 2025, is estimated to reduce federal Medicaid funding by over $1 trillion in the next decade, introducing measures such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing that could reduce coverage and funding for some recipients. These shifts are anticipated to increase state Medicaid costs and slow the expansion of federal financial support, despite the program continuing to serve millions of Americans.

Note: Includes HCPCS codes solely labeled for COVID-19 services; these sums do not capture all health care spending linked to the pandemic.

This report uses information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Source material is accessible here.