Bristol Medicaid spending for COVID-19 services reached $8,262 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid spending in Bristol for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically associated with COVID-19 reached at least $8,262, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid is a state-administered health insurance initiative that receives funding from both federal and state governments. Serving low-income residents, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, it is one of the leading components of health care in the United States.

Because taxpayer money supports Medicaid, shifts in how billing happens locally highlight how health funding is distributed in each community.

This report identified COVID-19–related services using HCPCS codes marked as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related in their billing descriptions or supporting data. As a result, the totals only cover services explicitly specified as COVID-related, excluding broader or differently labeled care expenses from the pandemic.

Pittsburgh reported the highest Medicaid spend tied to COVID-19 services in Pennsylvania in 2024, with virus-related claims totaling $266,441.

In Bristol, average Medicaid payments per provider for COVID-19–related services were $4,131, lower than the statewide average of $6,645.

COVID-19–specific services contributed to meaningful Medicaid spending increases during Bristol’s pandemic years.

Across all other service categories, Bristol’s total Medicaid payments went up $4,722,744 from 2020 to 2024, a 171.7% rise.

For the two years before the pandemic, Bristol’s average annual Medicaid payments were $1,034,487.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid’s combined state and federal spending was about $871.7 billion in the 2023 fiscal year, making up around 18% of all U.S. health spending. This figure rose dramatically from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, before COVID-19.

This gain represents an increase of nearly 40% in just several years, fueled by increased enrollment and service use during and after the pandemic period.

Federal budget initiatives during the Trump administration brought forward major proposals to trim Medicaid funding and create structural changes. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is predicted to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years and introduces policies like work requirements and greater cost-sharing, which could decrease benefits and funding for some enrollees. These adjustments are likely to shift greater costs to states and slow the increase of federal support, though Medicaid will still cover tens of millions nationwide.

Note: Totals include only HCPCS codes expressly labeled for COVID-19 services and do not encompass all health care spending tied to the pandemic.

The source for this information is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Find the data here.