Trump administration shared Medicaid data with immigration officials: Report
Trump administration shared Medicaid data with immigration officials: Report
Straight Arrow News; by Kalé Carey; 6/13/25
A newly obtained government memo reveals that immigration officials received access to Medicaid data to assist in deportation efforts. ... The Associated Press reported that emails and a memo show the Department of Health and Human Services ordered staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to release data, including immigration status, on millions of federal program enrollees. The Department of Homeland Security was reportedly given the information, according to the Associated Press. Advisers to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave CMS staff 54 minutes to hand over the data. CMS staff objected to the request, citing legal and ethical concerns over the type of data being shared. ...
- How did immigration, health officials respond to the report? ...
- Does federal law protect individuals’ data? ...
- New CMS oversight under Trump ...
- The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, requires hospitals to provide emergency care to anyone facing a life-threatening condition, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. The law is meant to ensure that no one is turned away in a medical crisis.
- Another federal law requires states to offer emergency Medicaid to noncitizens, including those who are lawfully present but ineligible for full benefits. Seven states and Washington, D.C., go further, offering full Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants without seeking reimbursement from the federal government.
- States have laws to protect residents’ privacy ...