Trump's Trials - Medicaid can how share data with ICE. Here's what that means

Episode Date: March 13, 2026

Medicaid has promised that recipients' names, addresses and immigration status would stay private for decades. A December court ruling changed that. Now, some data can be shared with immigration authorities.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detrow, and this is Trump's terms from NPR. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's coverage of the Trump administration with the focus on actions and policies that take the presidency into uncharted territory. Here's the latest from NPR. I'm A. Martinez. Medicaid has promised that recipient's names addresses and immigration status would stay private for decades. A December court ruling changed that. Now, some data can be shared with immigration.

authorities. As Alex O'Gohan reports, some families face a painful choice about whether to get care. The U.S. has some of the best medical care for people with rare conditions. That's why Pee and her family moved from Brazil to the northeast in 2016. My daughter's life depends on Medicaid. Pee's 11-year-old daughter has RET syndrome, a rare condition that makes it hard for her to eat, breathe, walk, and talk. Pea asked that we use her first initial only, because even though she and her family have legal immigration status, she fears being detained. She receives in-home supports, and she also receives PT, O.T., speech, aquatic therapy on a weekly basis. That care, plus lots of doctor's visits, would cost tens of thousands of dollars without Medicaid, the Joint State and Federal Health

Insurance Program for more than 70 million people with low incomes or disabilities. When P. heard the Trump administration plan to share names and addresses with Immigration authorities, she panicked. P. says her and her husband have private health insurance through work. They have Medicaid for their daughter and another son who has a disability. It brings us an amount of anxiety every day. Your friends are around you that are just being arrested, and you don't know if that can happen with you too. Even though data in some states, including California, Illinois and Washington,

has already been shared with immigration authorities, it's unclear whether it's been used to identify individuals for enforcement. DHS didn't answer NPR's questions about that. But the fact it's being shared at all upends decades of promises by Medicaid. It's really a 180-degree reversal of longstanding policy. Cindy Mann oversaw Medicaid during the Obama administration and is now a partner at the legal and consulting firm and Nat Health. The promise is really to assure people who are eligible for Medicaid to feel comfortable

that they can access that care without fear of putting their immigration status into jeopardy. That commitment is no longer on government websites. Mann says historically the only reason Medicaid should share personal data with the federal government is for oversight, things like confirming eligibility. The Department of Health and Human Services told NPR, that's what it's doing with these requests. But patients are calling Patty Lopez to ask if it's safe to stay on Medicaid. She manages the Health Insurance Department at Venice Family Clinic. in the Los Angeles area. One woman was so scared, she dropped it. She found it incredibly hard to go

without health coverage. And so she came back and, you know, she's like, now I'm here taking a risk because, you know, I need my medication. 80% of the community health centers patients rely on Medicaid. If people drop it but keep coming in for care, the clinic could face serious financial strain. It's already frozen hiring and is looking for other ways to cut costs. Andrew Cohen is an attorney with health law advocates in Massachusetts. He says for those already enrolled in Medicaid or other programs, the federal government may already have their information. So remaining on coverage actually may be no additional risk.

There are instances where it may not be safe for everybody. In December, a judge temporarily limited Medicaid data sharing in 22 states that sued, including Arizona, Michigan and New Jersey, restricting it to people who are in the country unlawfully. In the other 28 states like Texas, Kentucky, and Utah, there are no limits. For NPR News, I'm Alex Olgin. And before we wrap up, a thank you to our NPR Plus supporters who hear each show without sponsored messages and, of course, who help protect independent journalism. If you are not a supporter yet, you can visit plus.npr.org to find out how you can get a ton of podcast perks across dozens of NPR shows, like bonus episodes, exclusive merchandise, and more.

Again, that's plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.