Expanding Health Care Coverage: A Brighter Future for DACA Recipients

In a recent announcement, President Joe Biden declared plans to expand health care coverage to DACA recipients, young adults without legal status who have been in the U.S. since childhood. This group, often called “Dreamers,” has been allowed to work and study without fear of deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program since 2012.

Biden’s proposal aims to grant DACA beneficiaries access to health plans through Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to propose a rule that would expand the definition of “lawful presence” to include DACA recipients for Medicaid and ACA coverage purposes. If implemented, this would be the first time DACA recipients become eligible for these health care programs.

With this change, more than 600,000 DACA recipients residing in the U.S., primarily from Mexico and other Latin American countries, could apply for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace and state Medicaid agencies. The announcement has been welcomed by United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation, as a “major victory.”

A 2021 survey by the National Immigration Law Center revealed that 34 percent of DACA recipients lacked any health insurance, compared to only 10% of the general population. Advocates argue that access to reliable health care is a human need, and this rule change will enable more people to obtain the vital coverage they require for themselves and their families.

While the DACA program has been in place for a decade, it has faced legal challenges from the Trump administration and Republican-led states. To increase the likelihood of the program’s survival, the Biden administration turned DACA into a federal regulation in October.

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