FILE PHOTO: A rally against Medicaid cuts in front of the U.S. Capitol on June 6, 2017.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Medicaid reimbursement portals were down Tuesday in all 50 states on the heels of a funding freeze ordered by the Trump administration of federal grants and loans, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, separately said that his state’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.”
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 Office of Management and Budget 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.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., talks with reporters during a senate vote in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
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.
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