Biden expands access to health insurance for DACA immigrants

President Joe Biden’s administration will give certain immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children access to federally administered health insurance, the White House said Friday, in a sensitive issue ahead of the November election.

With this move, an estimated 100,000 previously uninsured participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are expected to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace and the Basic Health Program, both created under the U.S. Department of Health’s Affordable Care Act . and Human Services (HHS) said.

The DACA program was launched in 2012 under former President Barack Obama, when Biden was vice president. The program provides deportation assistance and work permits to “Dreamer” immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or have overstayed their visas.

Previously, DACA recipients were not allowed to enroll in the lower-cost plans known as Obamacare, but they could get health insurance from an employer, buy private insurance or, in some places, access programs funded by states and cities.

“Dreamers are our loved ones, our nurses, teachers and small business owners,” Biden said in a statement. “And they deserve the promise of health care, just like all of us.”

According to a White House fact sheet, DACA enrollees will have access to related financial assistance, such as tax credits and lower out-of-pocket costs.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on any costs to the U.S. government.

Immigration has become a top issue for voters ahead of November’s presidential election, pitting Biden, a Democrat, against Republican former President Donald Trump. Biden has tried to balance a tougher approach to border security with policies that protect asylum seekers and others in the U.S. illegally.

Trump, an immigration hardliner, tried to end DACA during his presidency but was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court. About 530,000 people are currently enrolled in the program, which remains subject to an ongoing legal battle.

The Trump campaign denounced the health care measure, calling it “unfair and unsustainable,” saying immigrants in the country are illegally taking jobs and resources from Black Americans, Hispanics and union workers.

“Joe Biden continues to force hardworking, taxpaying, struggling Americans to pay for housing, Social Security and now health care for illegal immigrants,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

The US economy is expected to grow in the coming years, fueled by increased immigration. Some unions have courted recent immigrants amid labor shortages.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday that people without health insurance are delaying preventive or routine medical care, leading to unnecessary costs later.

While the regulation will give DACA participants access to the Basic Health Program, which serves low-income residents, the change will not provide access to two other low-income programs, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as initially in 2023 was proposed.