U.S. Department of Health and Human Services authorizes resumption of sharing some Medicaid data with eviction officials after judge’s ruling

U.S. health departments can resume sharing some people’s personal data starting Monday Medicaid Deportation officials placed registrants on the rolls following a federal judge’s ruling, a blow to states that have sued the government over privacy concerns.

But the judge’s decision issued last Monday severely limits the scope of data that the 22 plaintiff states can share – currently only allowing the agency to turn over basic biographical information about immigrants living in the state. USA illegally. States sued after AP reported establishing data-sharing policies.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco came after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it planned to share data again as part of the program. trump card The government’s immigration crackdown.

Chhabria initially blocked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from sharing personal data, including home addresses, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in August. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. In December, he extended the temporary order.

Then, last week, Chhabria ruled that after the interim order expired on January 5, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sharing “basic biographical, location and contact information” of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials could resume. He wrote in a court filing that such sharing “is expressly authorized by law and the agencies have fully explained their decisions.”

Chhabria wrote that HHS and CMS are prohibited from providing detailed, sensitive medical information about participants to the Department of Homeland Security or ICE while the proceedings are ongoing. They also could not turn over Medicaid data on U.S. citizens or legal immigrants in the 22 plaintiff states, he wrote.

In explaining why he blocked broader data sharing, Chhabria wrote that the new federal policy “is completely unclear about what this information is, why it is needed for immigration enforcement purposes, and what the risks are of sharing this information with DHS.”

It was unclear Monday whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had resumed sharing data on Medicaid recipients living in the U.S. illegally, and a spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Immigrants living in the United States illegally, as well as some immigrants who are here legally, are not allowed to participate in the Medicaid program, which provides nearly free medical care. But federal law requires all states to offer emergency Medicaid, a temporary insurance policy that only pays anyone, including non-U.S. citizens, for life-saving emergency room services. Medicaid is a jointly funded program by the state and federal government.

In June, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shared personal data on millions of Medicaid enrollees in a handful of states for the first time.

In July, CMS entered into a new agreement that allows DHS to view the personal data, including Social Security numbers and home addresses, of the nation’s 77 million Medicaid enrollees on a daily basis. Neither agreement was publicly announced.

The unusual disclosure of such personal health data to deportation officials amid the Trump administration’s far-reaching immigration crackdown immediately triggered lawsuits over privacy concerns.

Immigration advocates say the disclosure of personal data could alarm people seeking emergency medical help for themselves or their children. Other efforts to crack down on illegal immigration have made schools, churches, courthouses and other everyday places dangerous for immigrants and even U.S. citizens who fear raids.

CMS said in November that its intention to provide data to ICE was “consistent with federal law” and aimed at “advancing administrative priorities related to immigration.”

The data sharing comes as the Trump administration carries out an unprecedented immigration crackdown that has circulated across federal agencies, including sending troops and immigration agents to several Democratic-run cities.

The government has made other efforts to share data with immigration officials. In May, a federal judge refused to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing immigration tax data with ICE to help agents find and detain people living in the United States illegally.