Mill Creek Medicaid paid $12,171 for COVID services in 2024, rising 37% from prior year

For 2024, Medicaid payments in Mill Creek reached at least $12,171 for services billed under HCPCS codes linked specifically to COVID-19, according to data in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. This amount marked an increase of 37.3% compared to 2023, when claims for the same codes totaled $8,868.

Medicaid, a government health insurance program administered by each state and funded jointly by federal and state governments, offers coverage to low-income residents, families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, making it one of the key components of the U.S. health care system.

Since Medicaid expenditures are covered by taxpayers, fluctuations in local billing highlight shifts in how community health care resources are allocated.

This analysis considers services that were coded as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related according to billing descriptions or accompanying reference data. These figures reflect only those Medicaid services that were directly identified as COVID-related, and do not include pandemic-linked care billed under broader or alternative categories.

To provide perspective, Seattle registered the highest Medicaid payments statewide for COVID-19 services in 2024, reaching $461,706 in claims associated with virus-related care.

North Sound Pediatrics was identified as the city’s sole Medicaid provider reporting claims for COVID-19–related services in Mill Creek during 2024 data.

Medicaid outlays for COVID-19–targeted services became a larger factor behind overall program spending growth in Mill Creek during the pandemic years.

Between 2021 and 2024, overall Medicaid disbursements for categories excluding COVID-19–related claims rose by $50,513, a change of 7.8%.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal and state Medicaid spending combined totaled about $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023. Medicaid made up around 18% of national health expenditures and jumped sharply from about $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That growth amounts to roughly 40% in just a few years, driven largely by expanded enrollment and increased usage during and after the pandemic period.

Recent federal budget laws under the Trump administration have included major recommendations to shrink federal contributions to Medicaid and change how the program is structured. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to cut federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over 10 years. It also brings in policies like work requirements and higher cost sharing, which could reduce eligibility or funding for certain recipients. These measures could result in higher expenses for states and curb the federal program’s spending growth even as it continues to insure millions across the country.

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

Reporting relied on figures available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The source is available here.