Associated video: Trump’s cupboard takes form
(The Hill) – State Medicaid packages throughout the nation are reporting they’ve misplaced entry to federal fee portals in the future after President Trump introduced a freeze on federal grants and support.
By the late afternoon, states together with Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Carolina all confirmed they’d regained access to the portal, however some reported ongoing points.
On Monday, performing director of the Workplace of Administration and Funds (OMB) Matthew Vaeth issued a memo stating businesses should halt “all actions associated to obligation or disbursement of all federal monetary help” to the “extent admissible by relevant legislation.”
State Medicaid packages reported Tuesday they’ve been blocked from accessing the portals that present states with federal funding.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote on the social platform X, “My employees has confirmed stories that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states following final evening’s federal funding freeze. It is a blatant try to tear away medical insurance from thousands and thousands of Individuals in a single day and can get folks killed.”
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) equally shared claims of states dropping entry, and a number of states confirmed outages to The Hill.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X on Tuesday afternoon that the White Home was “conscious of the Medicaid web site portal outage” however had “confirmed no funds have been affected — they’re nonetheless being processed and despatched.”
“We anticipate the portal will likely be again on-line shortly,” she added.
The outage comes amid broader considerations over how Trump’s freeze on federal support will influence authorities companies.
An OMB memo issued Tuesday said, “Any program that gives direct advantages to Individuals is explicitly excluded from the pause and exempted from this assessment course of. Along with Social Safety and Medicare, already explicitly excluded within the steering, obligatory packages like Medicaid and SNAP will proceed with out pause.”
Throughout a press briefing earlier on Tuesday, Leavitt insisted that Medicaid wouldn’t be affected by the pause however when requested for a assure that no individual on Medicaid would see a cutoff, she mentioned, “I’ll test again on that and get again to you.”
In keeping with Medicaid.gov, almost 80 million folks within the U.S. have been enrolled in Medicaid and the Youngsters’s Well being Insurance coverage Program (CHIP) in October 2024. Of these enrolled in both program, greater than 37 million have been youngsters.
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Govt Workplace of Well being and Human Companies informed The Hill it “is experiencing some delays / system entry points with the Cost Administration System (PMS), however it’s unclear whether or not that is associated to the OMB memo or coincidental. Different states have reported related points with PMS,” they added. “MassHealth is just not halting any funds to suppliers, plans, or different payees.”
Melanie Cleveland, director of communications for the Alabama Medicaid Company, informed The Hill, “It’s our understanding that entry to the portal has been halted quickly, and we’re at present awaiting steering from CMS.”
Christine Stuart, deputy director of communications for the Connecticut Division of Social Companies, mentioned, “The fee administration system is unable to be accessed.”
A spokesperson for the Arizona Well being Care Value Containment System (AHCCCS) informed The Hill this system “is at present locked out of the Federal Cost Administration System, because of this right now AHCCCS is unable to attract down any federal funding together with funding for our non-discretionary Title XIX and Title XXI packages.”
The Alaska Division of Well being mentioned its portal entry is at present functioning usually.
It is a growing story and will likely be up to date.
