Forks reported $14,676 in Medicaid claims for COVID-19 services in 2024

In 2024, Forks recorded at least $14,676 in Medicaid payments for services billed under HCPCS codes specifically designated for COVID-19, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, a health insurance program funded jointly by federal and state governments and administered by individual states, provides coverage to low-income families and individuals, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. It is one of the largest components of the U.S. health care sector.

Trends in local Medicaid billing reflect how public health care resources from taxpayers are distributed throughout the community.

This review identified COVID-19–related services using HCPCS codes marked as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing data or reference materials. The reported amounts exclude other pandemic-related care that was billed using broader or differently categorized medical codes.

In comparison, Seattle had the state’s highest Medicaid payment total for COVID-19 services in 2024, with $461,706 in virus-related claims.

Records show that Clallam County Public Hospital District No 1 was the sole provider in Forks submitting Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in 2024.

During the pandemic years, spending for COVID-19–specific services made up a significant portion of Medicaid spending growth in the city.

Total Medicaid payments for other service categories in Forks increased by $251,073 between 2020 and 2024, marking a 12.1% rise.

In the two years before the pandemic, Forks reported an average of $2,055,346 in annual Medicaid payments.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined state and federal Medicaid expenditures totaled approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, which made up nearly 18% of all U.S. health spending and was a major increase from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This represents about 40% growth over a few years, mainly due to higher enrollment and increased service use during and following the pandemic.

Recent federal budget laws from the Trump administration included major proposals to cut federal Medicaid funding and change the program’s structure. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in 2025, is projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years and adds work requirements along with higher cost-sharing, which may lower coverage and funding for certain recipients. These changes are set to increase state financial responsibility and slow the growth of federal Medicaid funding, even as millions of Americans continue to rely on the program.

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

This article’s information comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. You can find the source data here.