De Kalb Medicaid COVID-19 claims reach $614 for 2024, up 23% from prior year

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows Medicaid payments in De Kalb in 2024 amounted to at least $614 for services linked to COVID-19 using specifically designated HCPCS codes. This was a 23.1% rise from 2023, when $499 in claims were submitted for those same categories.

Medicaid is a state-administered insurance program funded in partnership between the federal and state governments. The program supports low-income populations, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities and forms a major part of the U.S. health care system.

Since taxpayer contributions support Medicaid, shifts in billing levels indicate how community health care funding is allocated.

COVID-19–related services for this analysis included HCPCS codes identified as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in either billing details or related data sources. Therefore, the amounts reported here represent only services clearly labeled as COVID-specific in these records and do not capture pandemic care billed with broader or differently described codes.

In comparison, among cities in Texas, Houston filed the most Medicaid claims tied to COVID-19 services during 2024, totaling $5,684,946 in payments for virus-related care.

Records identify Dekalb Physicians Clinic LLC as the sole provider submitting Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in De Kalb in 2024.

COVID-19–specific billing represented a notable portion of De Kalb Medicaid spending growth through the pandemic period.

All other Medicaid claim categories combined saw payments grow by $34,366 from 2020 to 2024, an increase of 313.6%.

Across the two years leading up to the pandemic, Medicaid payments in De Kalb averaged $10,509 per year.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total state and federal Medicaid expenditures reached roughly $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. This comprised about 18% of overall national health spending and marked an increase from about $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

The jump reflects growth close to 40% in a few years, driven mainly by expanded program enrollment and higher usage during and following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget initiatives during the Trump administration included significant plans to scale back federal Medicaid spending and reconfigure the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, is estimated to cut federal Medicaid funding by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. It also introduces provisions like new work requirements and greater cost-sharing, measures that could limit coverage and funding for certain beneficiaries. These changes are expected to shift more funding responsibilities to states and slow federal Medicaid program growth, yet the program continues to insure tens of millions nationwide.

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

This article is based on information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Find the source data here.