WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop providing deportation officials with access to the personal data of all 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including their home addresses.
The agency began sharing this information with immigration authorities in several states in June. After the Associated Press revealed the policy, 20 states quickly filed a lawsuit seeking to block it.
In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services entered into a new agreement granting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) daily access to view sensitive details such as Social Security numbers and addresses of all Medicaid recipients nationwide. Neither of the agreements was made public.
The release of such extensive health data to immigration officials, part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown, triggered the legal challenge over privacy concerns.
This is not the only federal agency involved in expanding data-sharing. In May, a judge declined to stop the Internal Revenue Service from sharing immigrants’ tax records with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, aiding in the identification and detention of people living in the U.S. without legal status.
Judge Vince Chhabria of California issued the latest order, temporarily blocking HHS from sharing Medicaid data in the 20 states that sued, including California, Arizona, Washington, and New York.
“Using CMS data for immigration enforcement threatens to significantly disrupt the operation of Medicaid — a program that Congress has deemed critical for the provision of health coverage to the nation’s most vulnerable residents,” Chhabria wrote in his Tuesday ruling.
Chhabria, appointed by President Barack Obama, said the order will remain in effect until HHS demonstrates “reasoned decisionmaking” for its new policy of sharing enrollee information with DHS.
A spokesperson for HHS would not say whether the agency intends to fully suspend data sharing with immigration authorities but insisted the agreement with DHS is legal.
While undocumented immigrants and some legally present non-citizens cannot enroll in Medicaid, federal law requires states to provide emergency Medicaid coverage to anyone in need of lifesaving emergency care. Medicaid is funded jointly by states and the federal government.
Immigration advocates warn that allowing deportation authorities access to health data could deter people from seeking medical help, even in emergencies. Past crackdowns have already made schools, churches, courthouses, and other public spaces feel unsafe for immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
“Protecting people’s private health information is vitally important,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said. “Everyone should be able to seek medical care without fear of what the federal government may do with that information.”
