Medicaid paid at least $402 in Pass Christian for COVID-19 care in 2024

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows that Medicaid payments in Pass Christian reached at least $402 in 2024 for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically linked to COVID-19 care.

Medicaid, a government health insurance program jointly funded by state and federal dollars, covers low-income populations, children, people with disabilities, and seniors. This makes it a substantial component of the U.S. health system. More on joint funding is available from the Commonwealth Fund.

Because Medicaid dollars come from taxpayers, shifts in local billing amounts help track how public health spending is allocated within communities.

The analysis identified COVID-19–related services using HCPCS codes categorized or marked as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related within code descriptions or reference data. As such, these tallies include only services directly marked as COVID-related in billing and omit pandemic care billed under broader or different codes.

In comparison, Ripley led the state of Mississippi in Medicaid payments tied to COVID-19–specific services in 2024, earning $437,540 in related claims.

Records indicate Heartland Pediatrics LLC was Pass Christian’s sole provider submitting Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services during 2024.

COVID-19–specific Medicaid payments contributed to a noticeable rise in health spending in Pass Christian during the peak pandemic period.

Average annual Medicaid payments in Pass Christian were $5,906 for the two years before the pandemic started.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined state and federal Medicaid spending was about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up roughly 18% of national health expenditures. That’s a sharp rise from about $613.5 billion in 2019, the year prior to the pandemic.

This represents about 40% growth in just a few years—driven by greater enrollment and higher usage during and after pandemic conditions.

Recent federal budget legislation signed under the Trump administration included proposals aimed at reducing federal Medicaid funding and restructuring the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in 2025, is expected to cut more than $1 trillion in federal Medicaid dollars over the next decade. It also introduces policies like work requirements and increased cost-sharing, potentially limiting coverage for some beneficiaries. States are anticipated to absorb more costs even as federal support for Medicaid growth slows and the program continues covering tens of millions of Americans.

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

This article’s information comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The source data is available here.