Union’s Medicaid spending for COVID-19 services reaches $288,823 in 2024

Union saw a minimum of $288,823 in Medicaid payments in 2024 for healthcare services identified by HCPCS codes specifically tied to COVID-19, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, a government-run insurance program that relies on funding from both federal and state budgets, offers medical coverage to groups including low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and those living with disabilities, making it a foundational part of the U.S. health system.

Since Medicaid payments use taxpayer dollars, trends in local claim activity illustrate how public dollars support health care within the community.

This analysis used HCPCS codes with billing descriptions or reference data classified as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus,” meaning only services specifically identified as COVID-related in the data set are reflected. Care that was pandemic-related but billed using general or alternate codes was not included.

In comparison, Clifton reported the state’s highest total for Medicaid payments specifically for COVID-19 care in 2024, submitting $1,725,516 in claims linked to the virus.

Union recorded COVID-19–related claims from 2 Medicaid providers for 2024. Of these, COVID Specific was among the most heavily billed codes, representing $280,841.

The average Medicaid COVID-19 payment per provider in Union was $144,411—surpassing the statewide mean of $33,367 for such services.

COVID-19–designated claims contributed significantly to Medicaid spending expansion in Union during the height of the pandemic.

Total Medicaid reimbursements for other medical claim categories increased $19,720,576 between 2020 and 2024, which is an uptick of 124%.

Median annual Medicaid payments in Union sat at $15,172,897 in the two years prior to the onset of the pandemic period.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joint state and federal Medicaid spending amounted to nearly $871.7 billion in the 2023 fiscal year—representing approximately 18% of national health expenditures—compared to about $613.5 billion in 2019, before COVID-19.

This growth, about 40% in several years, was mainly driven by a higher number of enrollees and increased utilization through and following the pandemic.

Multiple federal budget measures during the Trump administration have introduced significant changes, including proposals aimed at trimming federal Medicaid spending and overhauling the program. New laws such as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, are expected to trim more than $1 trillion from federal Medicaid allocations throughout the next decade and bring new requirements, like added work provisions and cost-sharing, which could decrease healthcare coverage and funding for some groups. These policies are likely to shift fiscal responsibility onto individual states and constrain the future rise of federal Medicaid support, even as enrollment remains high.

Note: Only HCPCS codes directly labeled for COVID-19 services are included; totals exclude additional pandemic-related medical expenses not specifically coded.

Data in this report comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Access the source data here.