At least $30,970 in Dayton Medicaid spending linked to COVID-19 services in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid paid at least $30,970 in Dayton for healthcare services billed under HCPCS codes specifically related to COVID-19, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows.

Medicaid, a state-operated and jointly state-federal funded public insurance program, covers low-income families and individuals, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. It remains one of the nation’s largest health care programs. For more on Medicaid, visit the Commonwealth Fund.

Since Medicaid funding comes from taxpayers, fluctuations in local billing levels provide insight into how public health care resources are distributed within a community.

The analysis classified COVID-19–related services using HCPCS codes that include terms such as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in their descriptions or reference lists. Therefore, results only reflect services clearly designated as COVID-related for billing and exclude pandemic-related care billed under other codes.

Marion led Ohio in Medicaid payments linked to COVID-19 services in 2024, at $10,818,404 in claims for virus-related care.

Dayton had seven providers who billed Medicaid for COVID-19–related services in 2024. The most common code, COVID Specific, represented $15,624 of the total.

On average, each Dayton provider received $4,424 from Medicaid for COVID-19–associated services—well below the state average of $119,792 per provider for such services.

During the pandemic, services exclusive to COVID-19 contributed to the overall growth in Medicaid expenses in Dayton.

Across non-COVID claim groups, total Medicaid payouts increased by $157,429,744 from 2020 to 2024, marking a 76.4% rise.

Dayton’s average annual Medicaid payments in the two years before the pandemic were $186,490,547.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported combined state and federal Medicaid spending at around $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, making up about 18% of all U.S. health expenditures. That is a sharp growth from the approximate $613.5 billion spent in 2019 before COVID-19 impacted national health care usage and costs.

This increase amounts to about 40% in just a few years, attributed mainly to expanded Medicaid enrollment and greater use of services during and after the pandemic years.

Federal budget legislation passed during the Trump administration included the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, which is projected to lower federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years. The law introduces measures like work requirements and higher cost-sharing, potentially reducing federal support and shifting more Medicaid expenses to states, while continuing to provide health coverage to millions nationwide. Find the bill text here.

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

Details in this article are based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Access the original source here.