Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to Medicare and Medicaid records, exacerbating fears about the business leader's unprecedented access to the personal financial data of millions of Americans.
DOGE has been given access to crucial systems with the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as it looks for what it says is waste and fraud in government.
Late last month, DOGE gained access to the U.S. Treasury's federal payment system, a system that disburses trillions of dollars each year for programs that include Social Security and Medicare. (Read our story about Musk's access to the U.S. Treasury).
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To ease tension that could come with Musk's access to yet another government agency, two CMS agency veterans, one focused on policy and one focused on operations, are working alongside DOGE officials to ensure appropriate access to systems and technology, as well as spending that flows through them.
“We are taking a thoughtful approach to see where there may be opportunities for more effective and efficient use of resources in line with meeting the goals of President Trump,” the CMS statement said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, DOGE's access is "read-only," which means that DOGE affiliates cannot make changes to the systems. The WSJ also reported that no access has been given to databases that include identifiable personal health information of Medicare or Medicaid enrollees. That's good news to the millions currently enrolled in these programs.
DOGE officials are focusing on what they say consists of waste and fraud, while also examining departmental staffing at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Medicaid, which is funded jointly by states and the federal government, provides health insurance to millions of people, including low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities, per the HHS website. Medicaid spending is expected to increase by 3.9% in 2025. At the state level, spending is expected to rise 7%, according to KFF.
This past Wednesday, in a post on X, Musk wrote: "Yeah, this is where the big money fraud is happening," referring to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while reposting another user who referenced the Journal's report.
When asked about DOGE accessing CMS payment and contracting systems, representatives for the White House did not address specifics, as stated in the WSJ report. Still, they defended Musk and DOGE's actions overall, saying they were fulfilling Trump's commitment to make the federal government more accountable. "The people won't be affected," Trump said.
Earlier Government Accountability Office report findings
This past April, in a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), concerns were raised about payment errors in Medicare and Medicaid. Known as "improper payments," these are payments that are either made in an incorrect amount or should not have been made at all.
The GAO estimated that the Department of Health and Human Services had a combined total of over $100 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2023, representing 43% of all improper payments across all federal agencies. At that time, the GAO stressed the need for the federal government to strengthen its efforts to prevent these improper payments, which could include billing errors, fraud and/or overpayments.
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