The federal government shutdown has left Hoosiers like Census Bureau worker Shea Norton without a paycheck and Kentuckians like disabled patient Tammy Chittenden without access to life-saving telehealth services through Medicare.

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As the federal government shutdown entered its first full day Wednesday, Kentuckians and Hoosiers are beginning to feel the real-world impact of the political impasse in Washington.

For some, like Shea Norton of Jeffersonville, it meant walking out of work after 14 years on the job with nothing but a two-sentence email and uncertainty about when she'll return. For others, like Tammy Chittenden of Russellville, it meant waking up without access to the medical care she says is critical to keep her alive.

"Cease most activities"

Shea Norton went to work at the U.S. Census Bureau's National Processing Center in Jeffersonville on Wednesday, expecting to sign the standard furlough paperwork. She told me she's been through this twice before during previous shutdowns. But this time felt different.

"They had us print off our pay stubs and our W-2 and our SF-50, which is like our government contract to work, and then they didn't really tell us why," Norton said. "We've never done that before."