Federal Judge Halts Access to Medicaid Enrollee Data

A federal judge has instructed international officials to pause access to the personal information of 79 million Medicaid enrollees.

In June, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shared personal data about millions of Medicaid enrollees from a few states. This new policy led to 20 states filing lawsuits in an effort to stop it from being put into action.

In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services entered into a new arrangement that allowed the Department of Homeland Security to access personal data daily, including Social Security numbers and home addresses of the 79 million Medicaid enrollees nationwide. Neither of these agreements was publicly disclosed.

This unusual release of sensitive health information to immigration officials during the Trump administration quickly raised concerns about privacy and led to more lawsuits.

The sharing of Medicaid data is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to provide immigration-related data to DHS. For instance, in May, a federal judge refused to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing tax data about immigrants with immigration enforcement agencies, aiming to assist in locating and detaining individuals living in the U.S. without legal status.

California federal judge Vince Chhabria issued the order that temporarily prohibits the health department from sharing personal data for those enrolled in Medicaid from 20 states, including California, Arizona, Washington, and New York.

“Using CMS data for immigration enforcement could seriously disrupt Medicaid, a vital program for providing health insurance to some of the nation’s most vulnerable people,” Chhabria remarked.

Chhabria, appointed by President Barack Obama, noted that the order would remain in place until the Health Department clarifies its justification for the new data-sharing policy.

A spokesperson from the federal health department declined to confirm whether the agency would stop sharing data with DHS, maintaining that their agreement with DHS is legal.

It’s important to note that immigrants who are not legally in the U.S., as well as those who are legally present, cannot enroll in Medicaid, which offers low-cost health services. However, federal law mandates that all states provide emergency Medicaid—a temporary solution that covers only emergency medical services for everyone, including non-citizens. Medicaid is a program funded jointly by state and federal governments.

Advocates for immigrants express concern that disclosing personal data could increase anxiety among those seeking emergency medical care for their children. The ongoing immigration crackdown has already instilled a sense of unease in places like schools and churches, even among U.S. citizens worried about being swept up in enforcement actions.

“It’s critically important to safeguard people’s private health information,” said Washington Attorney General Nick Brown in a statement. “Everyone should be able to access medical care without fear of what the federal government might do with that information.”