The Orange County Health Care Agency said it and the county “play no role in the federal government’s decisions regarding access by immigration enforcement agencies” to Medicaid data, in a statement released Friday, July 18.
County officials said they were responding to reports and growing concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement accessing sensitive information obtained from Medicaid or Medi-Cal data.
The Associated Press reported on Thursday that a data-sharing agreement would give ICE agents access to the personal data of 79 million people enrolled in Medicaid. Signed between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security, the agreement, which has not been announced publicly, would help in tracking down the location of undocumented immigrants.
The county HCA said in its statement that the possible access raised “serious concerns about the privacy and security of protected health information entrusted to public health systems,” but urged patients not to disenroll from Medi-Cal. Any data previously submitted to state or federal systems would not be erased by unenrolling, OC officials warned.
“The HCA is actively engaging with state and federal partners to assess the scope of this issue and to understand any potential impact to patients under our care,” the county statement said.
Data obtained by ICE could include personal and medical information, residential addresses, and ethnicities. The agency said certain Medicaid data must be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under federal and state laws.
“We recognize that this issue may cause fear or uncertainty among patients and families who are seeking care. We want to reassure our community that the HCA’s mission is rooted in providing equitable, respectful, and confidential care to all residents of Orange County,” county officials said. “We remain firmly committed to protecting public trust and upholding the privacy rights of every person we serve.”
On Thursday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office was “moving quickly to secure a court order” that would block the sharing of Medicaid data for immigration enforcement.