Statement from the Department of Health Care Services on the federal use of Medi-Cal data and member privacy

June 13, 2025

SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is firmly committed to protecting the privacy and well-being of all Medi-Cal members. Recent reports have raised serious concerns about how federal agencies may be using Medicaid data, including the personal data of all 15 million Californians covered by Medi-Cal. We want to clarify what we know and the actions we are taking.

We are aware of reports that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services may have shared the personal data of Medi-Cal members with the Department of Homeland Security. Upon learning of these reports, DHCS reached out to CMS requesting information to confirm whether this occurred and on exactly what data was shared, to which agencies, and why. DHCS has not received confirmation that such sharing occurred, nor do we know what data may have been involved or for what purpose. We are actively seeking answers from our federal partners.

For more information, visit the full statement.