Des Plaines Medicaid spending for COVID-19 services totals $238,012 in 2024

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database show that at least $238,012 in Medicaid payments were made in Des Plaines in 2024 for services billed under HCPCS codes directly linked to COVID-19.

Medicaid, a state-administered public health insurance program funded jointly by federal and state governments, covers low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, comprising a significant segment of the U.S. health care system.

Since Medicaid payments are taxpayer funded, shifts in local billing highlight how public health care resources are distributed within a community.

COVID-19–related services for this report were determined based on HCPCS codes listed or considered “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related in billing descriptions or reference data. This means totals only include services directly identified as COVID-related in billing records and do not account for pandemic-related care submitted under broader codes.

In comparison, Chicago had the highest total in Illinois for Medicaid payments on COVID-19 services in 2024 with $5,867,303 in related claims.

On average, Medicaid payments per provider for COVID-19–related care reached $119,006 in Des Plaines, below the statewide average of $168,110.

In the two years before the pandemic, the average annual Medicaid payments in Des Plaines were $6,066,233.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined federal and state Medicaid program spending reached about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. This represented around 18% of total U.S. health expenditures, an increase from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

This growth marks about a 40% increase over a few years, driven mainly by greater enrollment and use during and after the pandemic period.

Recent federal budget measures enacted by the Trump administration include broad proposals to lower federal Medicaid funding and change the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid allocations by more than $1 trillion over 10 years, imposing new policies such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing for some beneficiaries. These adjustments are likely to shift more costs to individual states and reduce the trajectory of federal support while Medicaid continues to cover tens of millions of Americans.

Note: Data includes only HCPCS codes clearly defined for COVID-19 services; totals exclude all broader pandemic-related health spending.

The information in this report is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The original source data is available here.