Oregon quietly shared some Medicaid users’ data in September

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Health Authority shared personally identifiable information on Oregon Medicaid users with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Sept. 9. 

As first reported by the Oregonian, the data included information about adults who utilized emergency Medicaid services between April and June 2025. 

“The file did not include any new information to CMS, as CMS already had access to all the information across multiple data sources,” an OHA spokesperson said. “This request required the State to pull that information together into one set of reports.”

Included were the users’ Medicaid identification, date of birth, and Medicaid eligibility categories based on citizenship status. It did not include immigration status or addresses.

During an Oregon Health Policy Board meeting on Sept. 9, OHA Health Policy Director Clare Pierce-Wrobel said that CMS has repeatedly refused to use Medicaid member data for immigration enforcement. She also said CMS has threatened OHA with a $30 million fine for refusing to audit and submit the data.

CMS first requested the information from Oregon on June 6, and until recently, the state had refused to comply. 

In July, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced the state had joined a California-led lawsuit to stop the sharing of Medicaid records with immigration authorities. Later the same month, the Associated Press reported it obtained an information-sharing agreement between CMS and ICE.

A federal judge has since ordered a preliminary injunction, which prohibits CMS information from the involved states from being used for immigration purposes until the case is decided. It does not mean OHA can stop sharing data with CMS.

According to OHA, the information shared Sept. 9 was part of an ongoing financial management review and was legally required to ensure no federal resources were used to pay for services not covered under federal law.

KOIN 6 News reached out to CMS to confirm what data was shared, but a spokesperson stopped responding to emails.

About 1.4 million Oregonians are covered by Medicaid, according to OHA’s website.