Schenectady Medicaid paid over $8,000 for COVID-19 care in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid disbursements for services billed under COVID-19–specific HCPCS codes in Schenectady totaled at least $8,180, based on data provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, a public health insurance program, is administered by states and jointly financed by federal and state governments. It supports low-income individuals and families, older adults, children, and those with disabilities, making it a central part of the U.S. health system. For more, see here.

As Medicaid is taxpayer-funded, local changes in billing levels illustrate how communities allocate public health care funds.

COVID-19–related services were identified in this analysis using HCPCS codes denoted or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in coding descriptions or reference sources. Thus, reported totals only reflect care directly classified as COVID-related and do not include pandemic services billed under broader or alternative codes.

For perspective, Brooklyn recorded New York’s highest Medicaid payments for COVID-19 services in 2024, with $3,718,101 in relevant claims.

Ellis Hospital appeared as the sole provider submitting COVID-19–labeled Medicaid claims for Schenectady in 2024, according to available data.

Throughout the pandemic years, COVID-specific services contributed notably to Medicaid spending increases in Schenectady.

Overall Medicaid expenditures for all other categories climbed by $3,055,494 from 2020 to 2024, amounting to a 9.1% gain.

Average yearly Medicaid claims in Schenectady in the two years prior to the pandemic averaged $16,787,408.

As reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, federal and state Medicaid expenditures collectively reached an estimated $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, about 18% of national health spending, up significantly from approximately $613.5 billion in 2019, before the onset of COVID-19.

This marks a nearly 40% increase in a short period, mainly due to greater enrollment and use during and following the COVID-19 period.

Federal budget changes during the Trump administration proposed major reductions in Medicaid funding and restructuring of the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years and brings policies like work requirements and more cost-sharing, which may lower enrollment and funding for certain groups. These measures are anticipated to pass more costs onto states and restrict future federal Medicaid growth, even as the program continues to serve millions of Americans.

Note: Reflects only HCPCS codes explicitly identified for COVID-19 services; does not account for all pandemic-associated health costs.

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