I recently came across a news story that should concern everyone who cares about privacy and healthcare rights. News outlets 404 Media and the Freedom of the Press Foundation have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The lawsuit seeks to hold the agencies accountable for a deeply problematic data-sharing agreement that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to access the personal data of over 80 million Medicaid patients.

Medicaid, Privacy, and ICE

According to 404 Media, DHS and CMS entered into an agreement that provides ICE with access to a ridiculous amount of health data. Their justification is that this access "aids ICE in locating and apprehending undocumented immigrants."

But here's the issue: Undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for Medicaid. The law is clear on this. If you are not lawfully present in the United States, you don't qualify for Medicaid. So ICE's rationale for combing through the healthcare data of millions of law-abiding citizens and legal residents, violating their privacy, falls apart on its face.

Why This Breach Matters to Everyone

This isn't just a story about immigration enforcement. This is about the government setting a dangerous precedent—one where anyone's personal medical information could be repurposed and weaponized for reasons that have nothing to do with them. Once those floodgates are open, it's difficult to close them.

Medical data isn't just numbers and codes. It's deeply personal. It covers everything from mental health to reproductive choices (which are currently being stripped from women by the same government that wants to spy on us), chronic illnesses, and sensitive family information. People share these details with their doctors under the expectation of strict confidentiality. This is also a huge HIPAA violation.

When agencies start exploiting legal loopholes, public trust erodes. People may become less willing to seek the care they need, fearing that their information could be used against them or someone they love. People could die.

A Blatant Government Overreach

This entire situation is a massive overreach from every angle from an administration that couldn't care less about you or your rights. Using a taxpayer-funded healthcare program as a broad surveillance net is not just legally shaky—it is morally dubious. And it's difficult to escape the conclusion that the argument about "apprehending undocumented immigrants" is being used as a political cover for a dangerous expansion of government power by power hungry leaders.

We have to ask: Who will be targeted next? If Medicaid data is on the table for immigration enforcement and weaponization, could it be used for other types of investigations? What about data from SNAP, TANF, or student financial aid?

What You Can Do

  • Support organizations like the Freedom of the Press Foundation and independent journalism outlets like 404 Media that are dedicated to telling you the truth.
  • Contact your elected representatives and demand rigorous oversight of government data-sharing practices. Their job is to represent you and your values. If they won't, vote for someone that will.
  • Advocate for strong data privacy protections at both the state and federal level. Pay attention to who respects your rights and who is just using you as a pawn for power.

This lawsuit is about much more than a single data-sharing agreement—it's about the kind of society we want to live in. Do we want our health records to be weaponized? Do we stand up when trust and privacy are under attack?

I know my answer. What's yours?

Sources

  1. ICE Is Getting Unprecedented Access to Medicaid Data
  2. 404 Media and Freedom of the Press Foundation Sue DHS
  3. Federal judge halts federal health dept's sharing of Medicaid data with deportation officials
  4. Federal Judge Blocks HHS from Sharing Medicaid Data with ICE
  5. ICE Access to Medicaid Data Compromises More than Privacy