In 2024, Skokie saw at least $42,331 in Medicaid payments for services billed with HCPCS codes designated for COVID-19, based on records from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.
Medicaid, administered by states and funded in partnership by federal and state governments, provides coverage for low-income households, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities, making it one of the largest segments of U.S. health care spending.
Because Medicaid dollars come from taxpayer funding, shifts in local billing patterns show how public health care resources are used at the community level.
This review identified COVID-19–related services via HCPCS codes labeled or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus”-related in provider billing information or reference data. Therefore, the amounts represent only those services explicitly flagged as COVID-19-related in the billing system, excluding broader pandemic-related care billed under different medical codes.
Comparatively, Chicago had the highest level of Medicaid payments for COVID-19 services in Illinois in 2024, reaching $5,867,303 in virus-related claims.
Three providers in Skokie billed Medicaid for COVID-19–specific services during 2024. The most frequently used code, COVID Specific, made up $41,225 of the total.
On average, each provider in Skokie received $14,110 in Medicaid payments for COVID-19–related services, which is lower than the Illinois state average of $168,110 per provider.
During the pandemic years, Medicaid spending growth in Skokie was heavily influenced by services specific to COVID-19.
Skokie’s average annual Medicaid payments in the two years before the pandemic came to $22,481,906.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that combined federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached roughly $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, about 18% of total national health care outlays. This marks a significant rise from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This increase reflects nearly 40% growth over a few years, largely attributed to greater enrollment and increased demand for services during and following the pandemic.
Recent federal budget measures enacted during the Trump administration include major proposals to trim federal Medicaid funding and modify its structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in 2025, is set to reduce federal Medicaid outlays by over $1 trillion over the next 10 years. The act brings in work requirements and higher cost-sharing that could decrease benefits and funding for some, shifting more financial responsibility to the states while the program still serves tens of millions nationwide.
| Year | COVID-19–Related Payments | COVID-19 Payments % Change (YoY) | Total Medicaid Payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $42,331 | -99.4% | $22,790,550 |
| 2023 | $7,527,576 | -73.7% | $30,679,265 |
| 2022 | $28,663,575 | 43.9% | $52,590,103 |
| 2021 | $19,913,377 | 135.3% | $42,648,291 |
| 2020 | $8,464,334 | N/A | $33,134,975 |
| 2019 | $0 | N/A | $25,823,115 |
| 2018 | $0 | N/A | $19,140,697 |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87635 | COVID Specific | $41,225 | 1,045 |
| 87811 | Immunoassay | $1,107 | 36 |
Note: Includes only HCPCS codes specifically designated for COVID-19. Totals do not cover all pandemic-related health spending.
This article uses data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Access the original datasets here.
