Basic Medicaid info can be shared with ICE, judge says

"Undocumented immigrants are not eligible to enroll in federal Medicaid coverage. But emergency Medicaid dollars pay hospitals for care provided to those who meet eligibility requirements regardless of immigration status, per KFF. And some states provide state-funded coverage to some who are ineligible for federal funds."

"Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, a California-basedObama appointee, said in his Monday order that sharing basic biographical, location and contact information is "clearly authorized by law." However, he strictly limited whatkinds of data could be shared. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can provide citizenship and immigration status, address, phone number, date of birth and Medicaid ID for those illegally living in the United States."

"State of play: Chhabria pointed to government filings outlining thepolicy and legal background on such information sharing, including one that said CMS would provide ICE the "minimum required information." But that policysaid CMS may share other information beyond immigration status, location and phone numbers "on a case-by-case basis as permitted by law." Chhabria wrotethat many questions remain and that the memos fail to address "why a more narrowly tailored policy, focused on the basic biographical information discussed above, would not suffice for immigration enforcement purposes.""

A federal order permits sharing basic biographical, location, and contact information of Medicaid enrollees with immigration authorities, while barring broader data transfers lacking clear legal justification. HHS and CMS are authorized to provide citizenship and immigration status, address, phone number, date of birth, and Medicaid ID for individuals illegally present in the United States. CMS memos describe providing ICE the "minimum required information" and allow potential additional disclosures "on a case-by-case basis as permitted by law." The court found gaps in the government’s explanations and concluded broader policy changes lacked sufficient reasoned decisionmaking.

Read at Axios