Phoenix Medicaid claims for COVID-19 services total $1,490,830 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid claims in Phoenix for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically related to COVID-19 amounted to at least $1,490,830, based on figures provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid is a state-run public health insurance program financed through a partnership between federal and state governments. It supports low-income residents, families, older adults, children, and individuals with disabilities, making it a significant component of the U.S. health care landscape.

As Medicaid is funded by taxpayers, shifts in billing in a given area show how public health care funds are distributed within a community.

The analysis designated COVID-19–related services as those utilizing HCPCS codes labeled as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in descriptions or reference materials. The data therefore only covers services explicitly flagged as COVID-19–related at the billing level, omitting any broader pandemic-related medical activities billed under unrelated or less specific codes.

Statewide, Phoenix posted the highest Medicaid payment totals for COVID-19-related services in 2024.

Within Phoenix, 45 providers submitted Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services that year. The COVID Specific code was among the largest, representing $1,245,643 of the total.

For context, Medicaid providers in Phoenix averaged $33,130 in payments for COVID-19–related services, which is higher than the Arizona average of $17,776 per provider.

During the pandemic, Medicaid expenditures on COVID-19–specific services contributed to observable increases in Phoenix’s Medicaid spending.

Medicaid spending for all other claim types rose by $297,285,128 from 2020 to 2024, which is an increase of 21.1%.

The average annual Medicaid payment in Phoenix in the two years before the pandemic was $1,266,969,993.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total state and federal Medicaid expenditures reached roughly $871.7 billion for fiscal 2023, making up about 18% of national health spending—up sharply from around $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 health crisis.

This represents an approximate 40% increase over the span of several years, with climbs driven largely by expanded eligibility and increased service use during and after the pandemic.

Recent congressional budget measures during the Trump administration have brought forth substantial plans to shrink federal Medicaid support and alter the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to trim more than $1 trillion from federal Medicaid funding over 10 years and establish requirements including work mandates and greater cost-sharing, which may reduce eligibility and funding for some recipients. These measures are likely to transfer more financial responsibility to states and limit the future growth of federal contributions, while Medicaid continues to provide for tens of millions of Americans.

Note: Numbers reflect HCPCS codes specifically tagged for COVID-19 services; they do not include the entirety of pandemic-related medical spending.

Data in this report come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database, accessible here.