Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser files lawsuit against U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser files lawsuit against U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser files lawsuit against U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services 00:27

Colorado is now part of a group of 20 states suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says the lawsuit was filed after Medicaid data was sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The lawsuit alleges that on June 13, multiple states learned that the federal government conducted a "mass transfer" of data to the Department of Homeland Security, including personal health records of millions of individuals. They said that "reports indicate that the federal government plans to create a sweeping database for mass deportations and other large-scale immigration enforcement purposes." However, the DHS said the records are needed "to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them."

In a statement, Weiser said, "Personal healthcare data collected about Medicaid beneficiaries is confidential, to be shared only in narrow circumstances that benefit public health and the integrity of the Medicaid program. There's no reason to share this sensitive data with immigration or law enforcement agencies."

Included in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

They claim that the transfer is illegal and will lead to eligible noncitizens and their family members disenrolling from the program or refusing to enroll. This would place the costs of federally mandated emergency healthcare services onto the states and their safety net hospitals.