One hundred thousand illegal immigrants will now be eligible for taxpayer-funded health care, the Biden Administration announced.
The “final rule” will expand the Affordable Care Act coverage to individuals who have been allowed to remain in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The program was introduced by President Barack Obama in 2012.
Obama notably sidestepped Congress in order to enact the program.
While the program already provides legal protection and work permits for 500,000 illegal aliens, it will now include health care.
Trending Politics reported:
The White House announced in a statement that DACA recipients will be eligible to begin applying for coverage under Obamacare as early as November. “President Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris believe that health care should be a right, not a privilege,” the statement said.
“Together, they promised to protect and strengthen the Affordable Care Act, lowering costs and expanding coverage so that every American has the peace of mind that health insurance brings,” it continued.
“Today’s final rule delivers on the President’s commitment by giving DACA recipients that same peace and opportunity.”
Vice President Harris has estimated the number of “dreamers” present in the United States exceeds 800,000, while President Biden has called on Congress to authorize a pathway to citizenship for them.
Minors covered under DACA can continue to receive benefits, though a federal judge ruled in 2021 that additional arrivals can not be covered under the program. This decision was later upheld by an appeals court.
The Biden Administration has also been focused on resettling Palestinian refugees in recent weeks.
According to documents obtained by CBS News, officials across multiple federal agencies have discussed plans that would not only admit thousands of immigrants, but provide them with a host of resettlement benefits, including housing and a pathway to citizenship.
The Washington Examiner reported:
Under the previous rule, DACA members were not considered “lawfully present” and therefore not considered for marketplace subsidies. Many who were not covered by employer-based insurance were uninsured.
The new rule expands the “lawfully present” definition to include Dreamers, making them eligible for Obamacare benefits.
DACA has faced multiple legal challenges, with the Supreme Court blocking former President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the program.
Since July 2021, new participants have been ineligible to join the program as lawsuits continue to wind their way through the legal system.
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