Washington — A new directive released by the Biden administration on Friday is expected to result in roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children enrolling in the Affordable Care Act's health insurance next year.
Although the move took longer than promised to finalize and did not fully align with President Biden's initial proposal to allow those migrants to sign up for Medicaid, it will still provide thousands of migrants with access to valuable tax breaks when they enroll for coverage after the Affordable Care Act's marketplace opens on Nov. 1, just days before the presidential election.
While this decision may help the president enhance his appeal among Latinos, a key voting bloc he needs to secure for the election, it is likely to draw further criticism from conservatives regarding the president's border and migrant policies.
This action opens up the marketplace to any participant in the DACA program, many of whom are Latino.
Xavier Becerra Announces New Healthcare Options for DACA Participants
Xavier Becerra, the nation's top health official, revealed on Thursday that many migrants have been postponing seeking medical attention due to lack of coverage.
The recent decision by the administration alters the definition of "lawfully present" to allow DACA participants to enroll legally in the marketplace exchange.
Originally initiated by President Barack Obama, DACA aimed to protect young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents and grant them the right to work legally. However, these individuals, commonly referred to as "Dreamers," were previously ineligible for government-subsidized health insurance programs due to not meeting the criteria of having a "lawful presence" in the country.
Despite receiving over 20,000 comments on the proposal, the administration opted not to expand Medicaid eligibility for these migrants, as stated by senior officials on Thursday. The reasoning behind the delay in finalizing the rule, which was initially introduced last April, was not disclosed by the officials. This delay resulted in the migrants being unable to enroll in the marketplace for coverage this year.
With over 800,000 migrants eligible to enroll in marketplace coverage, the administration anticipates that only around 100,000 will actually sign up. This is due to some individuals possibly already having coverage through their workplace or other means, while others may struggle to afford coverage through the marketplace.
Additionally, certain classes of immigrants, such as asylum seekers and individuals with temporary protected status, are already able to purchase insurance through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare."
Meanwhile, the DACA program itself is currently facing a legal challenge in federal court led by Republican states.
