More than 100,000 young immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will soon be eligible to receive federal health care coverage for the first time since DACA was implemented over a decade ago.
The Biden administration announced on Friday (3) a new federal rule that will allow DACA beneficiaries to enroll in a health plan offered by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
It is estimated that 580,000 young adults who lack legal immigration status and have lived in the U.S. since they were children are currently working or studying without fear of deportation under DACA rules. The overwhelming majority of DACA beneficiaries were born in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Although the program has helped them access better-paying jobs and educational opportunities since it was implemented in 2012, DACA beneficiaries have been barred from obtaining federally funded health insurance, despite contributing billions in federal taxes, injecting funds into the country’s federal health insurance system.
While many DACA beneficiaries obtain health insurance through their jobs, it is estimated that more than a quarter are currently uninsured.
By implementing a federal rule that expands the definition of “legal presence” to include DACA beneficiaries, they “are no longer excluded from receiving coverage from a quality health plan and also from financial assistance,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to reporters in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that more than 100,000 young immigrants who lack health insurance will now have the opportunity to access affordable health care.
The new federal rule does not make DACA beneficiaries eligible for the Medicaid program, according to senior administration officials, but provides them coverage through Obamacare.
The announced rule is expected to take effect on November 1, coinciding with the open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act for 2025 health insurance plans, allowing new DACA beneficiaries to access federal health care as early as December, according to HHS.
Source: NBC News