Seattle saw $461,706 in Medicaid claims tied to COVID-19 services in 2024

In 2024, at least $461,706 in Medicaid payments were made in Seattle for services billed with HCPCS codes specifically related to COVID-19, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database show.

Medicaid is operated by states and financed in partnership by federal and state governments. It insures low-income people and families, as well as seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities, making it a central part of the nation’s health care landscape.

With Medicaid funded by taxpayers, shifting local billing patterns show how community health resources are distributed.

HCPCS codes analyzed in this story identify COVID-19–related services based on billing descriptions or references flagged as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related. These data points exclusively reflect services labeled in billing as COVID-specific and do not capture broader pandemic care billed under other types of medical codes.

Seattle recorded the state’s highest dollar amount of Medicaid payments connected to COVID-19–related services in 2024.

Data indicate 26 providers in Seattle billed Medicaid for COVID-19–specific services in 2024. The most frequently used code, COVID Specific, accounted for $393,435 in these claims.

In terms of averages, each Seattle provider receiving Medicaid funds for COVID-19 services got about $17,758—falling below the state average of $18,594 per provider.

During pandemic years, the surge in COVID-19–specific services contributed significantly to Medicaid spending growth in Seattle.

All other Medicaid claim categories in Seattle grew by $52,487,726 from 2020 through 2024, an increase of 21.9%.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report that total federal and state Medicaid expenditures were approximately $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, or around 18% of all national health spending. That’s a sharp rise from $613.5 billion in 2019 before COVID-19.

This reflects about 40% growth in only a few years, driven primarily by wider coverage and increased use during and after the pandemic interval.

Recently enacted federal budget proposals under the Trump administration would reduce Medicaid’s federal funding and overhaul its structure. One such measure, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” was signed into law in 2025 and is slated to trim more than $1 trillion from federal Medicaid outlays over the coming decade. New provisions such as work requirements and increased cost sharing could alter coverage and state-level expenditures for many recipients. These adjustments are set to shift greater financial responsibility to states and may curtail federal support growth even with continued high enrollment.

Note: Only HCPCS codes that are specifically associated with COVID-19 services are included; reported amounts exclude other pandemic-related health expenses.

This information was sourced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Access the data here.