Overview

• The July 17 agreement gives ICE online access to the CMS database containing names, birth dates, home addresses, ethnic details and Social Security numbers for all Medicaid enrollees.
• ICE may view the data only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is prohibited from downloading or storing any records.
• The administration says the measure will curb improper benefit use by ineligible individuals, while advocates warn it could deter immigrants and mixed-status families from seeking emergency medical care.
• California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 19 other states have filed lawsuits arguing the data transfer violates HIPAA, the Privacy Act and the Medicaid Act.
• CMS career legal officials urged the Justice Department to pause the data sharing over concerns it breaches federal statutes protecting health information.