Hayward Medicaid COVID-19 billing reached $133,932 in 2024

In 2024, Medicaid spending in Hayward amounted to at least $133,932 for services billed using HCPCS codes directly tied to COVID-19, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database show.

Medicaid operates as a public health insurance initiative administered by individual states and funded by both federal and state governments. The program insures low-income residents, seniors, children, and those with disabilities—constituting a major component of the U.S. health care system.

As Medicaid funding is taxpayer-driven, trends in localized billing offer insight into the ways public health expenditures are distributed at the community level.

Researchers tracked COVID-19–related services by isolating HCPCS codes categorized explicitly as “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in either billing details or supporting data. Therefore, reported figures reflect only those services definitely tagged as COVID-specific in billing and exclude pandemic-related treatment which may use broader or non-COVID-coded classifications.

In the rest of California, San Jose reported the state’s largest total for Medicaid payments tied to COVID-19 services in 2024, reaching $5,601,479 in eligible claims.

Five health care providers in Hayward billed Medicaid for COVID-specific service codes in 2024, with the Immunoassay procedure account for $110,563 of total claims.

To compare, Medicaid’s average COVID-related payment per provider in Hayward was $26,786—below the state provider average of $52,976.

During pandemic periods, payments for COVID-specific services drove a significant portion of Medicaid outlays growth in Hayward.

The city recorded an increase of $15,742,710 in total Medicaid payments across all other claim types from 2020 to 2024—a rise of 38.1%.

In the two years leading up to the pandemic, Hayward’s average annual Medicaid payments were $34,598,422.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports total federal and state Medicaid expenditures reached almost $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. This was about 18% of overall U.S. health expenditures and a sharp increase from $613.5 billion recorded in 2019, before COVID-19.

This represents roughly 40% growth over a short timeframe, largely due to broader program enrollment and increased use of services during and following the pandemic years.

Major federal legislation enacted under the Trump administration proposed notable reductions where possible to federal Medicaid funding and suggested programmatic reforms. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which became law in 2025, is expected to cut more than $1 trillion in federal Medicaid funding across the next decade. Measures such as new work requirements and greater cost-sharing could reduce enrollment and funding for some participants, possibly transferring more of the financial responsibility to states while constraining growth in federal funding. Medicaid, nonetheless, remains a core service for millions of Americans.

Note: Totals reflect claims specifically tied to codes officially designated for COVID-19 services; overall pandemic health spending is not fully captured.

Reporting for this article is based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. Direct access to the data is available here.