Efforts by the Trump administration to expand healthcare transparency and crack down on wasteful federal spending are facing resistance from segments of the healthcare industry, as officials move to secure access to claims data across federal health plans.
KFF Health News spoke to a wide range of left-wing voices that have long opposed President Donald Trump’s agenda, presenting a wide range of concerns that critics call “absurd”; the concerns come amidst a larger trend of Democratic-aligned interests fighting hard against any effort to deliver basic transparency and cut waste, fraud, and abuse.
At the center of the initiative is the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which oversees the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Administration officials say that gaining secure access to claims data would allow regulators to more effectively analyze federal healthcare spending, identify fraud, and eliminate inefficiencies that drive up costs for taxpayers.
Michael Martinez, senior counsel at Democracy Forward — a left-wing dark money group tied to disgraced Democrat super-lawyer Marc Elias — filed a public comment opposing OPM’s proposal in February. Martinez suggested access to this claims data could lead to targeting over abortion and other political issues.
Both transparency advocates and Trump allies disagreed.
“Responsible access to claims data is essential to lowering health care costs and protecting taxpayers from fraud, waste, and abuse,” Andrew Bremberg, former Director of the Domestic Policy Council during the first Trump administration, said. “Claims data enables oversight that identifies fraudulent billing, reduces unnecessary spending, and improves how care is delivered. This kind of data-driven accountability should be the standard across both public and private health systems and is critical to making evidence-based reforms.”
Despite assurances that any data access would be secure and privacy-protected, the effort has drawn opposition from industry stakeholders. Critics argue that expanding federal access to claims data could raise concerns about patient privacy and government overreach. However, administration allies counter that such objections are coming from entities that benefit from the current lack of transparency.
The proposal aligns with broader administration priorities focused on lowering healthcare costs and increasing accountability in government programs. By auditing claims data, OPM aims to pinpoint patterns of fraudulent billing, unnecessary procedures, and systemic waste—issues that critics argue have long gone unchecked due to limited transparency.
Following a recent public comment period on the proposal, supporters of the initiative say the pushback underscores the stakes involved.
“Fraud and waste in the billions is being exposed in places like Minnesota and California because the Trump administration actually cares about taxpayers more than bureaucratic middlemen,” Trent England, executive director of Save Our States, a grassroots organization that has backed federal price transparency efforts, noted. “Now the administration wants claims data for federal plans so both taxpayers and federal workers get their money’s worth. And who’s pushing back? Bureaucrats who claim private companies can be trusted but not federal agencies. It’s absurd.”
Proponents argue that secure access to claims data would not only reduce improper payments but also improve the overall efficiency of healthcare delivery within federal programs. By identifying high-cost outliers and inefficiencies, policymakers could make more informed decisions that ultimately benefit both patients and taxpayers.
The debate highlights a broader tension in Washington over how to balance privacy concerns with the need for oversight in a system that accounts for hundreds of billions in federal spending each year.
For now, OPM officials appear committed to advancing the effort, framing it as a necessary step toward ensuring that healthcare dollars are spent effectively — and that taxpayers are no longer footing the bill for unchecked waste and fraud.
