![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260210-DENVER-HEALTH-ICE-INFORMATION-SHARING-NOTICE-COURTESY.jpg\"\/)
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Providers and advocates expressed deep concern about both the initial court ruling, as well as the notice. They worry it will scare both undocumented immigrants and others who aren\u2019t citizens to skip health care altogether. That includes care states have informed people they\u2019re eligible for.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s devastating to think that people need to choose between their health and their safety, right? And keeping their families together,\u201d said Gladis Ibarra, co-executive director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition\/CIRC Action Fund.<\/p>\n
Ibarra described health care as a basic human need along with housing and food.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260210-GLADIS-IBARRA-COLORADO-IMMIGRANTS-RIGHTS-COALITION-CIRC-ATHMAR-PARK-IMMIGRATION-KEVINJBEATY-0.jpeg\"\/)
Kevin J. Beaty\/DenveriteGladis Ibarra, an organizer with the Colorado Immigrants Rights Coalition, in her office in Denver’s Athmar Park neighborhood. Feb. 10, 2026.<\/p>\n
CPR reached out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security. A spokesperson said HHS does not comment on ongoing litigation.<\/p>\n
DHS defended the data sharing and said it was necessary because of the failed immigration policies of the prior administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Trump consistently promised to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,\u201d said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin<\/a>. \u201cTo keep that promise after Joe Biden flooded our country with tens of millions of illegal aliens, CMS and DHS are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Democratic state lawmakers called the situation incredibly frustrating.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is medical care, we want people to be able to access services when they need them,\u201d said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco of Glenwood Springs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Velsaco sponsored a bill last legislative session to prohibit the state and public entities from sharing personal information with ICE unless there is a criminal investigation. Denver Health told CPR News that the hospital has robust policies that limit the sharing of information with law enforcement and will continue vigorous efforts to \u201cprotect all patient information.\u201d<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean some patient information won\u2019t potentially reach immigration authorities even if Denver Health and other Colorado hospitals aren\u2019t actively sharing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI believe this is eroding trust in government and it\u2019s attacking our communities,\u201d said Velasco. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to work around the federal government and we believe it is our duty to serve everyone but there are some pieces we are not able to address, those are at the federal level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘We cannot directly control what CMS shares,’ says state\u00a0<\/p>\n A spokesman for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing said federal law requires the department to share certain basic information with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services \u2014 the federal agency that runs Medicaid \u2014 because Medicaid is jointly financed and administered by the state and federal government. These monthly reports include demographic and eligibility information, such as name, address, date of birth, Social Security Number (if provided) or Medicaid ID, and immigration status for each Medicaid member who receives services.\u00a0<\/p>\n The department only shares Medicaid information with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he said. It does not share information with federal immigration officials, although as this communication outlines, \u201cwe cannot directly control what CMS shares.\u201d<\/p>\n The federal judge in the multistate lawsuit seeking to prevent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from sharing data with immigration authorities said the CMS may share certain data with the Department of Homeland Security \u201cabout individuals who are not lawfully residing in the U.S.\u201d said spokesperson Marc Williams.<\/p>\n \u201cTo date, CMS has not provided Colorado guidance on whether or how this specific information might be shared,\u201d he said in an emailed statement, noting the agency understands people are concerned about whether Medicaid information could be used for federal immigration enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Colorado\u2019s Attorney General\u2019s Office reads the judge\u2019s decision as a narrow exception that allows CMS to share limited information described as basic identifying data (name, address, phone, citizenship data, birthdate, Medicaid ID), but not medical details or broader personal information.<\/p>\n Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat who is running for governor, criticized the federal government’s data collection and sharing push when the state, along with more than a dozen others, sued<\/a> the administration last summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe personal health care 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,\u201d said Weiser when the lawsuit was announced. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason to share this sensitive data with immigration or law enforcement agencies. We\u2019re suing to protect Colorado\u2019s Medicaid program and the health and welfare of the people it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n The change could have far-reaching impacts both for patients and families, as well as providers, who are reimbursed by the federal government for caring for Medicaid patients. That included patients who get care through a program called Emergency Medicaid, which covers acute, life-threatening conditions\u2014such as severe injuries, heart attacks, or labor for those who do not meet citizenship or immigration status requirements but meet rules for income and residency. It includes hospital, ambulance, and, in some cases, dialysis services. Hospitals are obligated to provide care during a medical emergency and then are reimbursed for the cost by the federal government.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s Emergency Medicaid, right? So that we’re already thinking of life or death situations,\u201d Ibarra said. \u201cThe situation that a lot of our community members are in. We’ve seen people that are deported to their deaths, right? We’ve seen people that are sent to a detention center to die. And so you’re essentially asking the question, should people die in a detention center, should they be deported to their death, or should they seek lifesaving care?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ibarra said the dilemma of when and whether to get health care for some immigrants is more than hypothetical. She gave the example of a 7-year-old girl in Oregon, going to a hospital last month seeking treatment for a nosebleed that wouldn\u2019t stop. Federal agents detained the girl, her mother and father, who are seeking asylum from Venezuela, outside the hospital, according to Oregon news outlet KATU<\/a>. A lawmaker said the family is now being held at a detention center in Dilley, Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a devastating situation to be in,\u201d Ibarra said.<\/p>\n The perspective from Denver Health, other hospitals<\/p>\n Other hospital networks also reiterated their stance on patients\u2019 information.<\/p>\n “At UCHealth, we respect the privacy and dignity of every patient, and we do not ask for immigration status. We have not made any changes to how we protect our patients\u2019 health information,\u201d said Kelli Christensen, UCH\u2019s director of public and media relations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand patients may be concerned by recent reports that ICE can now receive information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile we can\u2019t provide legal advice about any patient\u2019s individual situation, we want to assure our patients that we are here to provide the care they need.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado referred CPR to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing as the best source for information about this topic.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cChildren\u2019s Hospital Colorado continues to safeguard patient medical information and comply with all state and federal privacy laws, including HIPAA,\u201d the federal act designed to safeguard sensitive health information, said the spokesperson, via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cColorado hospitals are reviewing their policies and may begin to notify patients of this ruling and how CMS shares patients\u2019 personal information with ICE,\u201d said Cara Welch, spokesperson for the Colorado Hospital Association. \u201cHospitals will continue to care for patients regardless of immigration status. All patients are strongly encouraged to seek care when they need it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ibarra, the immigrant rights advocate, said she thought it was important for the state and health facilities to alert their patients about the change, but handle it with caution.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s a double-edged sword,\u201d she said, noting the Denver Health notice, and questions about it, had been circulating on social media for weeks. \u201cWith no other context, there’s a lot of room for misinformation to be spread or fear to be spread.\u201d<\/p>\n This story is part of a collection tracking the impacts of President Donald Trump\u2019s second administration on the lives of everyday Coloradans. Since taking office, Trump has overhauled nearly every aspect of the federal government; journalists from CPR News, KRCC and Denverite are staying on top of what that means for you. Read more here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Editor’s note: The headline for this story has been updated to clarify that the information is not being directly shared with ICE, but is accessible to it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated Feb. 11, 2026 at 1:46 p.m. In January, the state\u2019s flagship safety net hospital, Denver Health, distributed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[9045,12,97,252,253,790,65947,1341,968,3479],"class_list":["post-465360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-colorado-news","tag-donald-trump","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-immigration","tag-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-ice","tag-medicaid","tag-president-trump","tag-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Colorado](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP24327092812856.jpg\"\/)
Matt Slocum\/APFILE – Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser pauses during an interview Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.<\/p>\n![\"Children\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20250905-uc-anschutz-hospital-childrens-medical-campus-hwv004-1024x680.jpg\"\/)
Hart Van Denburg\/CPR NewsChildren\u2019s Hospital at the UC Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.<\/p>\n