Michigan civil rights and health advocates condemn deal to share Medicaid data with ICE
A plan to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to the personal data of all 79 million Medicaid enrollees – including more than 2.6 million Michiganders – is being condemned by both the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the Michigan League for Public Policy.
The Associated Press reports the agreement between the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would include the home addresses and ethnicities of enrollees in an effort to track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States. The AP obtained a copy of an agreement between the two agencies, which has not been publicly announced.
Ramis Wadood, an ACLU of Michigan staff attorney, noted the policy change comes on the heels of Congress, at the behest of President Donald Trump, approving nearly $1 trillion in cuts from Medicaid.
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'Now, this wicked administration intends to terrorize Medicaid enrollees by sending ICE agents to their doors to possibly drag them away from their families in the name of rounding up people believed to be in the country illegally,' Wadood said.
According to a joint press release by the ACLU and the Michigan League for Public Policy, the agreement is believed to be the first time in Medicaid's history that comprehensive health data, including names, birthdates, addresses, Social Security numbers, and racial and ethnic information, has been turned over for immigration enforcement.
'Sending ICE the personal data of 79 million people will put them in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's senseless and dehumanizing mass deportation machine. The attacks on our immigrant friends and neighbors, as well as the millions on Medicaid, are an affront to all of us – our rights and our freedom – and together, we must fight back,' Wadood said.
Monique Stanton, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, called the policy a 'direct attack' on public health and civil liberties. She also warned that it will deter families — including those legally eligible — from seeking even emergency treatment out of fear that their enrollment could result in detention or deportation.
'When a parent brings their child to the ER, they shouldn't have to weigh whether saving their child's life will put their entire family at risk of deportation. Weaponizing Medicaid data for immigration enforcement will create a dangerous chilling effect, deterring immigrants and their families from seeking the care they need, while putting entire communities at risk,' Stanton said.
According to the joint press release, Michigan is home to over 157,000 residents living in mixed-status families, including more than 71,000 U.S. citizens.
'These families already face elevated rates of uninsurance — 10.6% of immigrants in Michigan are uninsured, compared to just 5% of native-born residents. Policies that increase barriers to care will only worsen health disparities and strain emergency services,' the release stated.
Both agencies also say the data-sharing arrangement raises serious legal and ethical concerns, and appears to violate federal medical privacy protections, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA.
The AP reported that Medicaid officials had fought to prevent the data sharing even as late as Monday.
'They are trying to turn us into immigration agents,' a CMS official, who did not have permission to speak to the media and insisted on anonymity, told the AP.
Stanton said the implications of sharing the data go beyond immigration policy.
'Delays in prenatal and pediatric care could lead to preventable birth complications and childhood illnesses. Avoiding preventive treatment will drive up emergency costs for hospitals and taxpayers. And the mental health toll from fear, trauma and family separation will ripple across generations,' Stanton said. 'We cannot allow this betrayal of trust to stand.'
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