The short answer is there’s a good chunk of Americans on some form of Medicaid (regardless of what name it wears) and in exchange for healthcare provided by the government, they give access of their medical PII to the government because the government is their healthcare insurance provider.
But that doesn’t mean any rando in the government can access anyone’s health data on a whim, legally. You have to have a reason to access it. Even just accessing date of birth is protected.
The short answer is there’s a good chunk of Americans on some form of Medicaid (regardless of what name it wears) and in exchange for healthcare provided by the government, they give access of their medical PII to the government because the government is their healthcare insurance provider.
But that doesn’t mean any rando in the government can access anyone’s health data on a whim, legally. You have to have a reason to access it. Even just accessing date of birth is protected.