Media reporting as well as recent court filings show that the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) continues to amass vast amounts of sensitive data on individuals for purposes that are unclear and possibly unlawful.
As part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by unions and non-profits against several federal agencies, the plaintiffs have submitted evidence detailing DOGE’s access to multiple databases within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that contain personally identifiable information. DOGE has access to databases at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that contain individuals’ names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, phone numbers, mailing addresses, email addresses, race, sex, diagnosis codes, procedure codes, and medical notes. The plaintiffs claim that HHS and other agencies have given DOGE “unfettered, on-demand access to their most sensitive systems of records,” simply because they “invoke the incantation of ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’” But as the lawsuit notes, “‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ are not magic words, and they cannot conjure up a need to grant DOGE Team members on-demand access to Americans’ most sensitive and personal information.”
Last week the Center for Medicare Advocacy noted our alarm that DOGE and immigration officials are seeking to use sensitive Medicare data to identify and target undocumented immigrants. Our Alert stated that this practice is not only a violation of privacy and an abuse of Medicare’s data, but also a wasted effort since Medicare does not cover undocumented immigrants and claims that millions fraudulently receive such benefits are false.
CMA remains concerned about inappropriate access to and use of sensitive Medicare data and will continue to monitor this issue.
April 24, 2025 – A. Bers