Trump admin. personnel agency is asking for federal workers' medical records

Politics Trump administration personnel agency is asking for federal workers' medical records By Amanda Seitz, Maia Rosenfeld April 8, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families.A brief notice from the Office of Personnel Management could dramatically change which personally identifiable medical information the agency obtains, giving it the power to see prescriptions employees had filled or what treatment they sought from doctors. The regulation would require 65 insurance companies that cover more than 8 million Americans — including federal workers, retired members of Congress, mail carriers, and their immediate family members — to provide monthly reports to OPM with identifiable health data on their members.The proposal is prompting unease from insurers as well as health policy and legal experts, who are concerned about the legality of OPM acquiring such a sweeping database of sensitive health information, and the agency's ability to safeguard it.OPM could use the data to analyze costs and improve the system, said Sharona Hoffman, a health law ethicist at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio."But," she said, "they are going to get very, very detailed and granular data about everything that happens. The concern here is the more information they have, they could use it to discipline or target people who are not cooperating politically."OPM spokespeople did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The agency's notice asks insurers that offer Federal Employees Health Benefits or Postal Service Health Benefits plans to furnish "service use and cost data," including "medical claims, pharmacy claims, encounter data, and provider data." It says the data will "ensure they provide competitive, quality, and affordable plans."The notice, posted and sent to insurers in December, does not instruct them...