New York, NY—Today, the Biden administration announced that active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients would soon be able to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance. According to the Centers for Medicine and Medicaid Services, the new rule will result in an estimated 100,000 newly eligible DACA recipients enrolled in a healthcare plan.
This decision follows the previous exclusion of DACA recipients from Obamacare benefits. The rule will take effect on November 1, 2024.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Everyone deserves access to affordable healthcare, to ensure the well-being of all families who call America home. Today’s announcement offers a lifeline to thousands of Dreamers, who are American in every way but who until now have been barred from accessing the lifesaving care they need to cultivate healthy lives. While this rule presents progress in advancing health equity for DACA recipients, further efforts are necessary to protect their livelihoods as they remain targets of right-wing extremists in Washington. As the DACA program faces ongoing legal challenges, jeopardizing the futures of over 835,000 DACA recipients, the Biden administration must prioritize establishing a real pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, providing them with the security and stability they deserve in the country they call home.”