(AmericanProsperity.com) – The Biden administration finalized a rule that would expand healthcare coverage for immigrants who came to the United States as children and are shielded from deportation or are a part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).
The rule says that recipients of the DACA program would be eligible to access healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act for the first time. Biden said this was a “historic step,” but he said that Congress can provide Dreamers and their families a pathway to citizenship.
“Today, my administration is expanding affordable, quality healthcare coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients,” Biden said. “Dreamers are our loved ones, our nurses, teachers, and small business owners. And they deserve the promise of healthcare just like all of us.”
Those who are enrolled in DACA are authorized to study or work in the United States as they pay taxes every year, but they were never eligible for healthcare as they were not defined as “lawfully present” in the States. This rule says that immigrants will not be excluded from healthcare because of their status.
Many of the recipients of this program do get health insurance from their employers, but like some Americans, they don’t have access either. Over five hundred thousand DACA recipients didn’t have access to health insurance until now.
The Biden administration says that this new policy could cover over one hundred thousand previously uninsured members and the program is expected to cost under one billion dollars as each person would cost about five thousand dollars.
“Making Dreamers eligible to enroll in coverage will improve their health and wellbeing and strengthen the health and wellbeing of our nation and our economy,” said Xavier Bacerra, Health and Human Services Secretary.
Getting people insured is important as most uninsured people will skip preventative care, which could cause problems in the long run.
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