Dothan Medicaid paid $141,471 for COVID-19 services in 2024

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database, at least $141,471 in Medicaid payments in Dothan during 2024 were made for services billed under HCPCS codes designated for COVID-19.

Medicaid is a state-run health insurance initiative supported by both federal and state funding. It serves people and families with low incomes, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities, ranking as one of the nation’s largest health care programs.

Since Medicaid is funded by taxpayers, shifts in billing within a community reflect how public health dollars are distributed locally.

This analysis identified COVID-19–related services through HCPCS codes categorized as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in the billing details or classification data. Therefore, figures represent only those services clearly identified as COVID-related in the billing information, excluding care tied to the pandemic that may have been coded more generally or differently.

Birmingham reported the highest total Medicaid payments for COVID-19 services in Alabama for 2024, with claims reaching $1,029,178.

In Dothan, four health care providers billed Medicaid for services linked to COVID-19 in 2024. The most billed code, COVID Specific, totaled $139,379.

On average, Dothan Medicaid providers received $35,368 each for COVID-19–coded services, above the statewide average of $35,056.

COVID-19–coded services made up a substantial portion of Medicaid spending growth in Dothan in recent pandemic years.

Across all other Medicaid claim categories, Dothan saw an increase of $8,518,165 in payments between 2020 and 2024—a rise of 37%.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report that federal and state Medicaid expenditures together were about $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, making up nearly 18% of all national health spending, a notable jump from roughly $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This change equals an approximately 40% increase over a few years, mainly the result of expanded enrollment and greater use during and after the pandemic.

Federal budget measures enacted under the Trump administration included major proposals to reduce federal Medicaid contributions and restructure the program. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, signed in 2025, is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion in the next decade. The changes introduce provisions like work requirements and higher cost-sharing, which may affect beneficiary coverage and shift more financial responsibility to states, potentially curbing federal Medicaid program expansion while the program continues to support millions nationwide.

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

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database provided the information for this report. Source data is available here.