Trump Administration Seeks Medical Records of 8 Million Federal Workers

The Trump administration is proposing unprecedented access to the medical records of more than 8 million federal workers, retirees, and their families, according to a notice from the Office of Personnel Management. The proposal would require health insurance companies to provide detailed health data including medical claims, pharmacy records, encounter data, and provider information. The collection, revealed in a December notice, has raised immediate concerns from legal and health policy experts about privacy protections and the potential uses of such sensitive information. The data would cover diagnoses, prescriptions, doctors' notes, treatments, and visit summaries across 65 insurance companies that serve the federal workforce. The Office of Personnel Management stated it is seeking "service use and cost data" but has not provided specific details on how the information would be used or protected. Health policy experts note the scope of the request goes beyond typical government data collection and could violate privacy expectations under HIPAA and other health information laws. The proposed data collection would affect current federal employees, retirees, and their family members who receive health benefits through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which covers approximately 8 million Americans.