Agency set to sweep up medical data says some identifying info will be removed
Summary
The Trump administration is starting to collect detailed medical records from over 8 million federal employees, retirees, and their families. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) says it will remove names and other direct identifiers but keep some information like birth years and scrambled ID numbers to help detect health care fraud.Key Facts
- OPM will collect personal health data from federal workers, retirees, and their families, covering over 8 million people.
- The data collection starts after July 24, following a notice published last month.
- Identifying details like names, addresses, and Social Security numbers will be removed before agency analysts review the data, a process called "pseudonymization."
- Some information, including birth years and scrambled member IDs, will still be kept, and OPM can potentially reidentify the data if needed.
- Sixty-five insurance companies must send detailed health records related to federal health benefit programs to OPM regularly.
- OPM plans to include Medicare data for federal employees and retirees who use both insurance systems.
- The administration says the data will help detect fraud and overpayments in costly federal health insurance programs.
- Some lawmakers and privacy advocates have expressed concerns about privacy protections and want the agency to build more trust before moving forward.
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