Biden Administration Extends Health Care Access to DACA Recipients
Tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors and were protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will now have access to health insurance through Obamacare.
A new rule announced by the Biden administration on Friday will allow DACA recipients to apply for coverage through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces starting November 1. The rule makes technical modifications to the definition of “lawfully present” used to determine eligibility for health insurance.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that the new rule will result in over 100,000 uninsured undocumented immigrants gaining access to health insurance. President Biden has long advocated for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants, but such efforts have faced opposition from Republicans.
“I’m proud of the contributions of Dreamers to our country and committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed,” Biden said in a statement. “That’s why we are taking this historic step to ensure that DACA recipients have the same access to health care through the Affordable Care Act as their neighbors.”
Vice President Harris echoed Biden’s call for Congress to act on comprehensive immigration reform.
“President Biden and I will continue to do everything in our power to protect DACA, but it is only a temporary solution,” Harris said. “Congress must act to ensure Dreamers have the permanent protections they deserve.”
The push for health care and citizenship for undocumented immigrants has been met with fierce opposition from Republicans. When Obamacare was unveiled by President Barack Obama, he faced accusations that it would provide health care to undocumented immigrants.
The Trump administration attempted to end DACA but was blocked by the Supreme Court in 2020. A separate lawsuit filed in 2021 is still ongoing, and further enrollments in the program remain blocked after a federal appeals court ruled that the Obama administration lacked the authority to institute the program.
The Biden administration has repeatedly called for broader amnesties for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S., but those efforts have failed amid unified opposition from Republicans who reject a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants during the ongoing border crisis.
The Biden administration claims that additional funding and reforms are needed to fix the “broken” system that enables the crisis at the southern border. Republicans argue that the administration should instead restore Trump-era policies that they believe can end the crisis.
