(NewsNation) — Medicaid portals are reportedly down in all 50 states after the Trump administration ordered a pause on federal grants, loans and other programs beginning on Tuesday as the administration begins a review of federal spending.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, posted on social media that his staff confirmed that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states.
“NEW: My staff has confirmed reports that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states following last night’s federal funding freeze. This is a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed,” Wyden wrote on X.
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When asked specifically if Medicaid would be affected by the pause, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt replied, “I’ll check back on that and get back to you.”
A short time later, Leavitt posted on social media that the White House is aware of the Medicaid website portal outage.
“We have confirmed no payments have been affected,” Leavitt wrote on X. “They are still being processed and sent. We expect the portal will be back online shortly.”
What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The agency said that Medicaid offers benefits that Medicare does not normally cover such as nursing home care and personal care services. Medicaid recipients typically do not pay anything for covered medical expenses but may owe a small co-payment for some items or services.
As of October, more than 72 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid, according to data.
What is the difference between Medicaid and Medicare?
Medicare is federal health insurance for Americans who are ages 65 and older as well as for some people who are under 65 but suffer from certain disabilities or conditions, the Department of Health and Human Services said.
Medicare is run by a federal agency known as the Centers for Medical and Medicaid Services. Medicare, because it is a federal program, has set standards for costs and coverage. This guarantees that a person’s Medicare coverage will be the same regardless of where they live.
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Medicare-related bills are paid from two trust funds that are held by the U.S. Treasury, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The trust funds are sourced with payroll taxes and other funds that are authorized by Congress.
Medicare recipients pay a portion of the costs through monthly premiums for medical and drug coverage, deductibles and co-insurance.
As of March 2023, nearly 66 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare, according to data.
Who qualifies for Medicaid?
According to Medicaid.gov, federal law requires that states cover certain groups of individuals. This includes low-income families, qualified women who are preganant and children as well as Americans who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Individual states also have additional options for Medicaid coverage and may choose to extend coverage to other groups such as residents who receive home and community-based services or children who are in foster care who otherwise are not eligible for coverage, the website said.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 provided the option for states to expand Medicaid to include nearly all low-income Americans who are under the age of 65. The website said that eligiblity for children was extended to at least 133% of the fedreal poverty level in every state.
The Affordable Care Act also established new methods for determining Medicaid eligibility, which is based on Modified Adjusted Gross Income.
This is a developing story. NewsNation will update as more information becomes available
