At least $508,918 in 2024 Medicaid payments in Hyden linked to COVID-19 services

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows that Medicaid paid out no less than $508,918 in 2024 in Hyden for services billed under HCPCS codes directly linked to COVID-19.

Medicaid is a state-operated public insurance program funded through both federal and state governments. Covering low-income people, seniors, children, and those with disabilities, it is a key component of the U.S. health care system.

Because taxpayer resources support Medicaid, shifts in billing activity reflect how local public health care funds are distributed in a given area.

For this report, services were counted as COVID-19–related if their HCPCS codes were marked or classified in billing details as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” connected. Therefore, only services clearly identified as COVID-related in claims data are included, while care with broader or differently marked billing codes is not.

In comparison, Louisville had the highest dollar amount for Medicaid claims associated with COVID-19 services in Kentucky in 2024, with $614,714 in such payments.

Among Hyden providers, three reported Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in 2024. Of these, the COVID Specific code represented $497,926 of the total.

Hyden’s average Medicaid payment per provider for COVID-19–related services was $169,639, exceeding the state average of $26,845.

COVID-19–specific services made up a significant portion of Medicaid spending increases in Hyden throughout the pandemic years.

All other Medicaid claim categories saw payments rise by $897,760 from 2020 to 2024, showing a 24.7% gain.

During the two years prior to the pandemic, Hyden’s annual average Medicaid payments totaled $4,178,044.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid spending hit approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up nearly 18% of national health spending, up from $613.5 billion in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.

This increase reflects about 40% growth in just a few years, largely driven by more enrollees and greater use of services during and after the pandemic period.

Recent federal budget actions under the Trump administration included sweeping changes to federal Medicaid support. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is anticipated to decrease federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over 10 years, bringing new policies such as work requirements and higher cost sharing, which could reduce access and funding for certain recipients. These adjustments are expected to transfer increased costs to states and constrain future federal Medicaid growth, even as the program remains essential to millions.

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

Information for this report comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Source data is available here.