Chicago’s 2024 Medicaid payments for COVID services top $5.8M

At least $5,867,303 in Medicaid payments was spent in Chicago in 2024 for services billed with HCPCS codes identified as COVID-19–related, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, funded by both federal and state governments but administered by states, is a major program in the U.S. health system, serving low-income residents, seniors, children and individuals with disabilities.

With Medicaid payments sourced from taxpayer funding, variations in local billing amounts indicate how community health care funds are distributed.

To generate these numbers, analysts included HCPCS codes described as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” related in medical billing data. Only services particularly designated as COVID-related are counted here; other pandemic care billed under broader categories is not included in these figures.

Among cities statewide, Chicago reported the largest Medicaid payments tied to COVID-19 services in 2024.

Nineteen providers in Chicago filed Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related care that year. Of these, COVID Specific was billed most often, amounting to $3,957,069.

The average Medicaid payout per Chicago provider for COVID-related services was $308,805, outpacing the state average of $168,110 per provider.

Throughout the pandemic years, Chicago’s Medicaid payments for COVID-19–coded services contributed to the city’s overall Medicaid spending growth.

Compared with 2020, citywide Medicaid claims excluding COVID-19 rose by $118,060,555 in 2024, marking a 19.5% gain across all other claim types.

During the two years before the pandemic began, the city’s average yearly Medicaid payments were $462,308,244.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report that joint federal and state Medicaid spending was approximately $871.7 billion in the 2023 fiscal year—about 18% of the nation’s health expenditures—up from nearly $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the pandemic’s onset.

This change reflects 40% growth in a short span, propelled in part by broader enrollment and elevated usage during and after pandemic years.

Recent federal budgets passed in the Trump administration introduced efforts to trim federal Medicaid funding and change its overall structure. One example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to slash more than $1 trillion from projected Medicaid expenditures over ten years. It includes provisions for work requirements and higher cost-sharing that could limit coverage and shift more financial obligations to states while the program continues to cover tens of millions across the country.

Note: Includes only HCPCS codes explicitly assigned for COVID-19; figures do not reflect the full amount of pandemic-related health expenses.

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