Summit recorded at least $2,292 Medicaid spending on COVID-19-linked services in 2024

Summit logged no less than $2,292 in Medicaid payments in 2024 for services billed using HCPCS codes directly tied to COVID-19, as reported in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, the public health insurance initiative run by states and jointly financed by federal and state governments, insures families and individuals with low income, children, seniors, and people with disabilities, placing it among the major components of the national health care landscape.

Since taxpayer dollars support Medicaid, fluctuations in billing trends locally indicate how health care funding is distributed within the community.

This analysis counted only COVID-19–related services identified through HCPCS codes that carry clear “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” descriptors in their billing language or code references. Thus, only services explicitly classified as COVID-related are included, excluding other pandemic care that may appear under general or alternate billing codes.

As a comparison, Clifton saw the highest sum for Medicaid COVID-19 services in New Jersey for 2024, accumulating $1,725,516 in these claims.

Ahs Hospital Corp appeared as the sole provider submitting Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services within Summit throughout 2024, according to the data.

During the years affected by the pandemic, Summit’s Medicaid spending saw significant growth attributable to COVID-19–specific services.

Looking beyond COVID-19 service codes, Medicaid outlays across other categories in Summit increased by $8,181,507 between 2020 and 2024, marking a 55.4% rise.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, government Medicaid spending—federal plus state—totaled about $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, which represented approximately 18% of the country’s total national health expenditures. That figure surged from about $613.5 billion in 2019, just before the pandemic began.

This overall boost represents about 40% growth in only a few years, mainly because of a rise in enrollments and services during and after the COVID-19 period.

Recent federal budget measures from the Trump era included prominent proposals to diminish federal Medicaid funds and alter how the program is structured. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is set to cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid on the federal level over 10 years. It also introduces policies like work requirements and increased out-of-pocket expenses that could shrink coverage and available funding for certain members. As a result, states are expected to take on more of the cost burden, and federal growth in Medicaid allocations will likely be restrained, even as tens of millions remain enrolled in the program.

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

Article information sources include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Source data available here.