Oregon health officials have turned over personal data about some Medicaid patients to the federal government as part of a spending probe, according to The Oregonian.
This move follows months of debate over privacy and potential federal misuse of health data.
Earlier this month, the Oregon Health Authority sent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services a report with data on every adult who used emergency Medicaid services between April and June.
The information included Medicaid identification numbers, dates of birth and Medicaid eligibility categories tied to citizenship status, but not immigration status or patient names or addresses.
State officials had resisted turning over the data since CMS requested it in June, citing distrust over how federal officials might use the information and highlighting concerns about privacy for Oregon’s immigrant communities.
The state health authority ultimately complied under legal pressure to avoid losing federal funding for the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program that provides health coverage for 1.4 million low-income individuals and people with disabilities.
