Buffalo Medicaid providers billed $83,300 for COVID-19 care in 2024

In Buffalo, Medicaid payments for services billed under HCPCS codes specific to COVID-19 reached at least $83,300 in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database.

Administered by states with joint federal and state funding, Medicaid provides health insurance coverage for low-income residents, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities, making it one of the largest components in the U.S. health care system. More details on Medicaid’s funding approach are available here.

Changes in Medicaid billing reflect how local taxpayer-funded health care resources are directed throughout a community.

This analysis identifies COVID-19–related services by the use of HCPCS codes labeled or categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in claim descriptions or the reference dataset. Figures only reflect services explicitly identified as COVID-related, excluding cases billed under non-specific or alternate medical codes.

For reference, Brooklyn had the highest Medicaid payments in New York associated with COVID-19 services in 2024, totaling $3,718,101 in virus-specific claims.

A total of 12 Buffalo providers submitted Medicaid claims for COVID-19–related services in 2024, with one of the most frequently billed codes, COVID Specific, making up $42,124.

To compare, the average Medicaid payment per provider for COVID-19–related services in Buffalo was $6,942, significantly below New York state’s average of $29,403.

COVID-19–specific claims contributed significantly to Buffalo’s Medicaid spending growth over the pandemic period.

In the two years before the pandemic, Buffalo’s annual average Medicaid payments totaled $139,137,490.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report combined federal and state Medicaid outlays rose to about $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. This represented about 18% of total national health expenditures, an increase from $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The difference marks about a 40% increase in just a few years, largely driven by expanded Medicaid rolls and greater health service use during and after the pandemic era.

Recent federal budget actions during the Trump administration have introduced significant plans to shrink federal Medicaid funding and revamp the program. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid allocations by more than $1 trillion over the coming decade and includes measures such as work requirements and higher cost-sharing for some participants. These provisions are projected to shift increased costs to states and restrict future growth in federal Medicaid funds, while the program continues to provide coverage for tens of millions nationwide.

Note: Amounts include only HCPCS codes that are clearly identified with COVID-19; totals exclude other pandemic-related health care expenditures.

Report information is drawn from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Find the original source data here.