Wheaton Medicaid COVID-19 claims reached $28,722 in 2024

At least $28,722 in Medicaid payments were made in Wheaton in 2024 for services using HCPCS codes specifically tied to COVID-19, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Medicaid, a state-run public health insurance initiative funded with both state and federal resources, supports low-income people, seniors, children, and those with disabilities. It is a foundational element of health care in the U.S.

Because taxpayers fund Medicaid, variations in billing levels reflect how public health care funds are used in local communities.

For this report, services marked as COVID-19–related were identified by HCPCS codes that included descriptors mentioning “COVID-19” or “coronavirus.” These totals capture only care directly labeled as COVID-related, excluding any relevant care billed under less specific codes.

Comparatively, Rockville had the highest Medicaid outlays for COVID-19 services in Maryland in 2024, with $430,231 billed for these claims.

Three providers in Wheaton submitted Medicaid claims for COVID-19–specific services in 2024. COVID Specific was among the most frequently billed, accounting for $26,679.

The average Medicaid payment per provider for COVID-19–related care in Wheaton was $9,574, which is below Maryland’s average of $24,157 per provider.

COVID-19–specific services contributed significantly to the growth in Medicaid spending in Wheaton during the pandemic years.

Total Medicaid payments in categories outside of COVID-19 claims increased by $2,925,256 from 2020 to 2024, marking a 61.6% rise.

In the two years before the pandemic, the annual average for Medicaid payments in Wheaton was $3,413,435.

Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows federal and state Medicaid spending combined to about $871.7 billion for fiscal year 2023, representing an estimated 18% of total national health expenditures. This is a marked increase from $613.5 billion in 2019, before the pandemic.

This escalation amounts to an approximate 40% rise within a few years, largely resulting from increased enrollment and medical service use during and following the pandemic’s peak period.

Federal budget legislation passed during the Trump administration proposed major changes to Medicaid funding. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid expenditure by over $1 trillion in the coming decade, and brings policy shifts such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing, potentially reducing eligibility and financial support for some enrollees. These adjustments may transfer more costs to states and slow federal funding growth, even as millions 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 report used information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Source data is available here.