Little Rock Medicaid spending for COVID-19 services reached $79,729 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid payments in Little Rock added up to at least $79,729 for services billed with HCPCS codes designated for COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

The previous-year comparisons referenced in this piece use the latest available data from the prior year.

Administered by the states and funded through both federal and state governments, Medicaid is a major public insurance program. It serves low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, making it one of the largest elements of the U.S. health care system.

Since Medicaid payments draw on taxpayer funds, shifts in local billing reflect how public health care resources are distributed within the community.

COVID-19–related services in this analysis were identified by using HCPCS codes classified or marked as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in billing details or reference materials. Therefore, these figures capture only those services marked directly as COVID-related, not including pandemic care potentially billed under other or generalized codes.

For a point of comparison, Jonesboro reported the highest total in Medicaid payments for COVID-19 services in Arkansas in 2024, with virus-related claims reaching $328,664.

In Little Rock, there were 10 providers who filed Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in 2024. The most billed code was COVID Specific, which made up $68,520 of the total.

To provide perspective, the average COVID-19–related Medicaid payment per provider in Little Rock was $7,973, below the state average figure of $12,964.

COVID-19–specific services made up a considerable portion of growth in Medicaid spending in Little Rock throughout the pandemic years.

Total Medicaid expenditures for all other claim types rose by $29,125,274 from 2020 to 2024, a 16.4% increase.

In the two years before the pandemic, Little Rock’s average annual Medicaid payment totaled $173,010,529.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that combined federal and state Medicaid spending totaled approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023, accounting for about 18% of national health expenditures, up significantly from $613.5 billion in 2019, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This increase amounts to roughly 40% over several years, largely due to expanded enrollment and greater health care use during and after the pandemic.

Federal budget legislation passed during the Trump administration included major plans to reduce federal Medicaid funding and alter the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” approved in 2025, is expected to result in more than $1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts over the next decade, and introduces changes like work requirements and higher cost-sharing, potentially decreasing coverage and funding for some recipients. These measures could transfer more financial responsibility to states and restrict the increase in federal Medicaid support, even as Medicaid continues to cover tens of millions of Americans.

Note: Only HCPCS codes clearly marked for COVID-19 services are included; total pandemic-related health care spending is not reflected.

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