Medicaid state portals down, Sen. Wyden says

Medicaid reimbursement portals were down Tuesday in every U.S. state on the heels of a funding freeze ordered by the Trump administration of federal grants and loans, Sen. Ron Wyden said.

“My staff has confirmed reports that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states following last night’s federal funding freeze,” the Oregon Democrat Wyden wrote in a post on the social media site X.

“This is a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed,” he wrote.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., separately said, “Connectict’s Medicaid payment system has been turned off.”

“Doctors and hospitals cannot get paid,” Murphy wrote in a tweet. “Discussions ongoing about whether services can continue.”

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, tweeted, “This is a Trump shutdown, except this time it’s unlawful.”

Medicaid, along with other programs including food stamps, small business assistance, Head Start, rental assistance and federal Pell Grants for college students, is supposed to be excluded from the Trump administration funding freeze, according to a memo issued Tuesday afternoon by the Office of Management and Budget.

As of October, there were 72,058,701 Americans enrolled in Medicaid, which provides health coverage to primarily low-income people, in addition to pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and states.

The shutdown in access to the Medicaid system came a day after the acting OMB Director Matthew Vaeth issued a memo ordering a “Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs.

The memo requires federal agencies to identify and review all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with President Donald Trump‘s policies.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, speaking at a news conference Tuesday, said, “I’ll check back on that and get back to you,” when asked if Medicaid payments were affected by the OMB order.

Murphy fired back at Leavitt in a tweet, writing, “72 MILLION people rely on this health insurance and you have to get back to us?!? Are you f****** kidding me?”

CNBC has requested comment from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the Medicaid system.