Baltimore Medicaid paid $255,722 for COVID-19 services in 2024

In Baltimore, Medicaid payments for services billed with HCPCS codes specific to COVID-19 totaled at least $255,722 in 2024, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows.

Medicaid is a state-administered, publicly funded health insurance program, supported by both federal and state governments. The program serves low-income people, families, seniors, children and individuals with disabilities, forming a major part of the nation’s health care system.

Because Medicaid is taxpayer funded, fluctuations in local payments illustrate how public health funds are distributed in specific communities.

This report defines COVID-19–related services as those billed with HCPCS codes labeled “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in their descriptions or posted reference data. As a result, the totals only include services explicitly marked as COVID-19 in billing documentation, and do not account for care billed using less specific or broader codes related to the pandemic.

Comparatively, Rockville saw the highest Medicaid payments for COVID-19–related claims in Maryland in 2024, totaling $430,231.

There were 32 providers in Baltimore who submitted Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services last year. Among these, Immunoassay was the code with the largest payment total, at $165,459.

The average Medicaid payment per provider for COVID-19–linked services in Baltimore was $7,991, which falls below the Maryland state average of $24,157.

During the pandemic period, COVID-19–designated services contributed noticeably to increased Medicaid spending in Baltimore.

Medicaid spending for all other categories in the city rose by $392,510,970 from 2020 to 2024, an increase of 63.8%.

Prior to the pandemic, the average annual Medicaid payment in Baltimore across all claims was $480,777,186 for the two preceding years.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid spending reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up around 18% of all national health expenditures. That is up from $613.5 billion in 2019, ahead of the pandemic.

This marks growth of about 40% over several years, largely attributed to higher enrollment and increased service use during and after the pandemic.

Recent federal budget measures enacted under the Trump administration introduced substantial changes to Medicaid funding. As an example, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which became law in 2025, is forecast to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. The law brings in policies like work requirements and higher beneficiary cost-sharing, potentially reducing access and shifting costs to states while restraining federal funding growth, despite tens of millions relying on the program.

Note: Figures include only those HCPCS codes explicitly identified for COVID-19 services and do not capture all health spending related to the pandemic.

Data used in this article are sourced from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Full source information is available here.