Sponsors (23)
The bill strengthens privacy protections for Medicaid beneficiaries—particularly immigrants—by preventing disclosure of Medicaid-linked health identifiers to immigration enforcement, at the cost of limiting some enforcement access and imposing administrative burdens on agencies and providers.
Medicaid beneficiaries (including immigrants) will have their Medicaid-related health records protected from disclosure to immigration enforcement for enforcement purposes, reducing risk of immigration-based targeting.
Eligible immigrants and other individuals concerned about data sharing will likely trust Medicaid systems more and may be more willing to enroll or seek care, improving access to health services.
Patients and providers get clearer privacy protection because the rule ties protected data to HIPAA's definition of individually identifiable health information, narrowing the scope of shareable data.
Law enforcement and immigration agencies will face restrictions on accessing Medicaid-linked, health-identifying information, which could hinder immigration enforcement and complicate public-safety or criminal investigations that rely on such data.
CMS, state governments, and health providers will incur additional administrative burden and costs to segregate and withhold information when responding to requests, increasing paperwork and compliance complexity.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits HHS and CMS from disclosing individually identifiable Medicaid enrollment health information to any person for immigration enforcement purposes, including ICE.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Sydney Kamlager-Dove · Last progress September 11, 2025
Prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from disclosing any individually identifiable health information obtained in connection with a person's enrollment in Medicaid (including waivers) to any person for the purpose of enforcing U.S. immigration laws, explicitly including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The restriction applies notwithstanding the federal Privacy Act and targets information tied to enrollment under Medicaid state plans or waivers. This measure does not change Medicaid eligibility or funding; it only limits a federal agency's ability to share certain enrollment-related health data for immigration enforcement. It does not specify penalties, alternative disclosure pathways, or actions by non-federal entities, and therefore leaves open questions about state-held data and other channels not controlled by HHS/CMS.