Knightstown Medicaid payments for COVID-19 services reached $3,560 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid spending for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically tied to COVID-19 reached at least $3,560 in Knightstown, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid is a state-operated health insurance program funded by both federal and state governments. It serves low-income adults and children, seniors, and people with disabilities, making it a key part of the nation’s medical care infrastructure.

Because Medicaid relies on taxpayer funding, fluctuations in local billing data illustrate how public health care resources are used within a community.

Analysis determined COVID-19 services using HCPCS codes classified or labeled as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing records or reference sources. Therefore, only transactions directly marked as COVID-19-related in billing reports are counted; care tied to the pandemic but billed under other codes is not included in these figures.

To provide contrast, Hammond posted the highest total for Indiana cities in virus-specific Medicaid payments in 2024, recording $443,500 in COVID-19 claims.

The database shows that only Hancock Regional Hospital submitted COVID-19–related Medicaid claims in Knightstown during 2024.

During the pandemic years, services billed as COVID-19-related comprised a significant portion of the uptick in Medicaid expenditures in Knightstown.

All other claim categories combined rose by $10,815 from 2020 to 2024, an increase of 10.6%.

Average yearly Medicaid payments in Knightstown were $54,488 during the two years immediately before the pandemic began.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, total federal and state Medicaid expenditures were about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, making up roughly 18% of national health spending and up significantly from about $613.5 billion in 2019—prior to the start of the COVID-19 period.

This jump marks close to 40% growth within several years, mainly attributed to greater program enrollment and increased use of services during and after the pandemic era.

Recent budget measures enacted during the Trump administration featured substantial proposals to reduce federal funding to Medicaid and change the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in 2025, is expected to deliver more than $1 trillion in federal Medicaid funding reductions over 10 years and contains provisions such as higher cost-sharing and work requirements. These changes could curtail coverage and reduce federal funds for certain groups, potentially shifting additional costs to state governments as Medicaid continues to insure millions nationwide.

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

This report sources its information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The underlying data is available here.