Democrats urge halt to federal health data plan

April 21, 2026

Summary

Democratic lawmakers urged OPM to drop a plan to collect detailed health claims data on more than 8 million people.

Why this matters

The dispute centers on how far the federal government can go in collecting identifiable medical data from people in government health plans. It also raises questions about privacy protections, agency oversight, and how sensitive health records may be used.

Democratic lawmakers asked the Trump administration to stop a plan to collect detailed medical and pharmacy claims data for more than 8 million federal workers, retirees, and family members enrolled in federal health plans.

Earlier this month, KFF Health News reported that the Office of Personnel Management had asked 65 insurance companies for monthly reports containing claims data. The December notice said insurers could legally disclose protected health information to OPM and did not instruct them to remove identifying details, such as names or diagnoses.

OPM said it would use the data for oversight and to manage federal health plans. Health policy experts told KFF Health News the information could also be used to develop cost-saving measures.

OPM Director Scott Kupor received two letters: one from 16 U.S. senators, led by Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Mark Warner of Virginia, and another from House Democrats led by Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

“The collection of broad, personally identifiable data regarding medical care and treatment raises concerns that OPM could target certain federal employees seeking vital health care services that the Administration disagrees with on political grounds,” House Democrats wrote in an April 17 letter to Kupor, citing KFF Health News.

The Senate Democrats wrote in an April 19 letter that OPM was not equipped to protect the data, that the administration could share it across agencies, and that insurers’ disclosure would “violate the core principles of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.” They said the proposal could affect patients’ relationships with clinicians, especially involving “sensitive disclosures regarding mental health, chronic illness, or other deeply personal conditions.”

“For these reasons, we strongly urge you to cease any further consideration of this proposal,” the senators wrote.

Republicans, who control Congress, had not publicly responded to OPM’s notice. OPM did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letters and has not publicly addressed written concerns about the proposal.

The American Federation of Government Employees also objected. In a statement, national president Everett Kelley said the proposal “comes in the context of coordinated attacks on federal employees and repeated stretching of the legal boundaries for sharing sensitive personal data across government agencies.”

“The question of what this administration intends to do with eight million Americans’ most private health information is not academic,” the statement said. “It is urgent.”

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