Shiprock Medicaid payments tied to COVID-19 services exceed $460,000 in 2024

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows that, in 2024, Shiprock generated at least $460,010 in Medicaid payments for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically assigned to COVID-19.

Medicaid, a public insurance initiative managed by the states and jointly financed by federal and state governments, supports low-income individuals and families, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. The program is one of the nation’s largest health coverage plans.

Because taxpayer dollars fund Medicaid, shifts in local claim volumes reveal how a community allocates its public health care resources.

COVID-19–related services were determined by identifying HCPCS codes marked or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” related in billing documentation or source data. The amounts are based only on those services explicitly listed as COVID-related, so broader pandemic care billed differently was not included.

By comparison, Albuquerque saw New Mexico’s largest sum of Medicaid payments connected to COVID-19 services in 2024, with $958,608 in virus-related claims.

In Shiprock, Dhhs, Phs, Naihs, Shiprock Hospital was the sole provider to file Medicaid claims for COVID-19–designated services during 2024.

In the years marked by the pandemic, Medicaid spending on COVID-19–specific services contributed substantially to the growth in overall Medicaid payments in Shiprock.

Medicaid payments in categories outside of COVID-19 increased by $1,513,313 from 2020 to 2024, which amounts to a 7.5% rise.

Average annual Medicaid payments in Shiprock for the two years before the pandemic totaled $20,813,108.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined Medicaid spending from both federal and state sources reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. That spending represented approximately 18% of overall national health expenditures, with a significant increase from the $613.5 billion reported in 2019 ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This jump marks about 40% growth in several years, primarily attributed to increased enrollment and greater service utilization during and after the pandemic.

Recent budget measures enacted under the Trump administration have introduced major plans to reduce federal spending on Medicaid and alter the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is anticipated to cut more than $1 trillion from federal Medicaid funding over 10 years and implements provisions like work requirements and higher cost-sharing, which could lead to reduced coverage and funding for some enrollees. These changes are projected to transfer more costs to states and curb the growth of federal Medicaid contributions, even as the program continues to serve tens of millions across the U.S.

Note: Figures include only HCPCS codes strictly labeled for COVID-19 services; totals do not reflect all pandemic-related health expenditures.

This article sources its information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The original dataset can be accessed here.