Earlier this week, the Trump administration paused federal grants, loans, and other programs as part of a broader federal spending review. Amid uncertainty over the funding freeze, Medicaid payment portals went dark across many states. Some lawmakers speculated that the spending freeze was to blame, but administration officials denied any connection, stating that Medicaid funding remained exempt from the suspension.  

On Tuesday, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt assured the public that Medicaid payments were still being processed, and that the portal would be restored soon. By Tuesday evening, many states had regained access, with some reporting ongoing technical issues. By Wednesday, January 29, the system was largely back online, with Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) confirming its restoration and National Association of Medicaid Directors Executive Director Kate McEvoy stating that states could once again access payment portals. Importantly, while the outage disrupted patient access to the portal, it did not affect the ability of physicians and payors to process payments.  

We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as more details become available. For more on Medicaid and the challenges facing physicians, explore our Healthcare Advocacy Toolkit and a previous A to ZPAC blog post.

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