Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday criticized the Trump administration for reportedly providing personal information from Medicaid recipients to federal immigration authorities.
The criticism stems from an Associated Press report that revealed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under President Donald Trump, shared data, including immigration status, of millions of Medicaid beneficiaries with the Department of Homeland Security.
The report suggests the information could aid immigration enforcement efforts under Trump’s broader crackdown.
“We deeply value the privacy of all Californians,” Newsom said in a statement. “This action by the federal government has implications for every person on Medicaid, but it is especially alarming for our immigrants and American mixed-status families.”
Under federal law, Medicaid is required to provide emergency services regardless of a recipient’s immigration status.
States like California, which operates the program as Medi-Cal, routinely share limited data with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to comply with federal funding and oversight requirements.
California’s Department of Health Care Services confirmed that it responded to a federal request last month to validate its use of federal Medicaid funds but emphasized that it did not submit any demographic data beyond what is normally required.
California law guarantees broad protections for personal data under the state Constitution and the Information Practices Act. State agencies are also required to adhere to strict privacy protocols and use Medi-Cal data solely for determining eligibility and benefits.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
