Medicaid spent at least $105 on COVID-19 claims in Chelan during 2024

At least $105 in Medicaid payments were recorded in Chelan in 2024 for services billed under HCPCS codes that specifically identified COVID-19, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, which is operated by states and funded through a partnership between federal and state governments, provides coverage for low-income people, seniors, children, and those with disabilities, making it a key segment of the U.S. health care system.

Because Medicaid relies on taxpayer funding, tracking local billing gives insight into how public health care resources are being distributed in a given area.

For this report, services related to COVID-19 were identified based on HCPCS codes described or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related in billing entries or reference materials. Consequently, the totals only reflect services specially identified as COVID-related in billing data and do not include pandemic-driven care billed under different or more generic codes.

As context, in 2024, Seattle registered the highest Medicaid payment total for COVID-19 services within Washington, reaching $461,706 in virus-related claims.

Columbia Valley Community Health was the only provider in Chelan that submitted Medicaid claims under COVID-19–related code categories in 2024, according to available data.

Across all other Medicaid claim types, payment totals rose $1,574,001 between 2020 and 2024, amounting to a 150.3% growth.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that combined state and federal Medicaid expenses reached approximately $871.7 billion during fiscal 2023, making up about 18% of national health expenditures, a sharp increase from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.

This reflects nearly 40% growth within a few years, mainly attributed to broader enrollment and greater use of services during and after the pandemic.

Several congressional budget measures in the Trump administration contained plans to cut federal Medicaid financing and modify the program’s structure. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which became law in 2025, is estimated to reduce federal Medicaid funds by over $1 trillion over the next 10 years, and introduces work requirements and higher cost-sharing that may affect coverage for some recipients. The adjustments are projected to transfer greater financial responsibility to states and reduce the expected growth of federal Medicaid aid, even as the program’s enrollment remains in the tens of millions nationwide.

Note: Figures only include HCPCS codes clearly labeled for COVID-19; the totals do not include all health spending linked to the pandemic.

This article includes data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Original source material is available here.