Laurinburg Medicaid COVID-19 claims total $272,021 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid payments for services identified by HCPCS codes specifically designated for COVID-19 in Laurinburg reached no less than $272,021, based on figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid is a state-administered public health insurance program that is jointly financed by federal and state governments. It provides coverage for low-income families and individuals, children, seniors, and those with disabilities, making it a major component of the nation’s health care system.

Since Medicaid is taxpayer-funded, local changes in billing patterns highlight how public health care resources are distributed in the area.

For this review, services counted as related to COVID-19 were identified by HCPCS codes flagged or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing descriptions or reference material. The totals represent only claims explicitly labeled for COVID-19 in billing records and exclude pandemic-related treatment part of broader or differently labeled service categories.

To compare, Charlotte had the highest Medicaid payments attributed to COVID-19 care in the state in 2024, with $2,373,883 in claims connected to the virus.

Within Laurinburg, two providers billed Medicaid for COVID-19–specific services during 2024. The most frequently used code, COVID Specific, made up $269,169 of the total.

For perspective, Laurinburg’s average Medicaid payment per provider for COVID-19–related care in 2024 was $136,010, while the statewide average stood at $37,126.

During the pandemic years, payments for COVID-19–specific services represented a notable portion of Laurinburg’s increase in Medicaid spending.

Medicaid disbursements across other claim types rose by $10,096,928 from 2020 to 2024, which marked a 59.7% climb.

In the two years before the pandemic, Laurinburg’s average annual Medicaid payments were $16,528,614.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal and state Medicaid outlays reached approximately $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, making up about 18% of total health expenditures nationally. That’s up sharply from around $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This difference reflects an estimated 40% gain in a few years, mainly as a result of increased enrollment and use during and after the pandemic.

Recent national budget measures introduced under the Trump administration have proposed substantial reductions to federal Medicaid funding and changes to the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years and creates new requirements like work mandates and higher cost-sharing. This could shrink coverage for certain beneficiaries and push more expenses to the states, possibly limiting future federal Medicaid growth even as the program remains essential to millions across the country.

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

Information for this piece comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The underlying data are available here.