The Center for Medicare Advocacy is alarmed by reports that the U.S. “DOGE” Service and immigration officials are seeking to use sensitive Medicare data to identify and target undocumented immigrants. This is a dangerous abuse of trust and a violation of privacy that threatens the rights of all Medicare beneficiaries, regardless of immigration status. It also reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of who is eligible for Medicare coverage.
Health data should never be weaponized. Medicare exists to make health care affordable and accessible, not to serve as a surveillance tool. Using Medicare’s databases to punish vulnerable communities undermines public health, erodes trust in vital programs, and puts lives at risk as individuals may be deterred from seeking health care services they need and qualify for.
Moreover, Medicare does not cover undocumented immigrants, and claims that millions fraudulently receive such benefits are false. Immigrants in the country lawfully can only become eligible for Medicare after they meet certain work history or years-long residency requirements. The effort to conduct immigration enforcement using Medicare data is thus not only invasive and harmful but also a wasted effort, as experts have stated.
CMA strongly opposes any effort to misuse Medicare data, violate privacy rights, and undermine access to health care. We call for an immediate end to this harmful practice.
April 17, 2025 – A. Bers