Trump administration personnel agency is asking for federal workers' medical records

Key Points:

• The Trump administration's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing a regulation that would require 65 insurers covering over 8 million federal workers, retirees, and their families to provide monthly reports containing identifiable medical and pharmacy claims data.
• The proposal raises significant legal and privacy concerns, with experts and insurers questioning the legality under HIPAA and the agency's ability to safeguard sensitive health information, especially given past data breaches at OPM.
• Critics worry the detailed data access could be used for political retaliation or targeting employees based on sensitive medical treatments, such as abortion or transgender care, amid a broader context of the administration's contentious personnel policies.
• Insurers and advocacy groups have formally opposed the plan, citing vague justifications for data collection and emphasizing that federal law requires only "reasonable reports," not comprehensive personal health records.
• OPM has not responded to requests for comment or provided clarity on how it would protect the data, and the proposal remains under review with no final decision announced.