91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Watch CBS News
Politics

Biden moves to expand health care coverage for "Dreamers" in DACA program

By
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Immigration Correspondent
Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the Immigration Correspondent at CBS News, where his reporting is featured across multiple programs and platforms, including national broadcast shows, CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com and the organization's social media accounts.
Read Full Bio
Camilo Montoya-Galvez

/ CBS News

Washington — The Biden administration on Thursday announced a regulation that would make nearly 600,000 immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children but lack legal immigration status eligible for government-subsidized health insurance programs.

The proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule would allow those enrolled in the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, also known as "Dreamers," to obtain coverage under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, if they meet other eligibility rules.

Established in 2012 to protect unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors from deportation, DACA allows beneficiaries to live and work in the country legally on two-year increments. It does not give them permanent legal status or a path to U.S. citizenship.

Because they lack permanent legal status, DACA beneficiaries do not qualify for most federal benefits. The proposed HHS rule, however, would alter the definition of "lawful presence" for Medicaid and Affordable Care Act eligibility to give DACA recipients access to these programs.

"If finalized, the rule will make DACA recipients eligible for these programs for the first time," the White House said. "Under the proposed rule, DACA recipients will be able to apply for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, where they may qualify for financial assistance based on income, and through their state Medicaid agency."

The Biden administration's action comes as DACA recipients and their advocates brace for a ruling from a federal judge in Texas who is reviewing the legality of rules enacted last year to transform the decade-old program into a regulation.

Texas and several other Republican-states are asking U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen to once again declare DACA unlawful and terminate the policy over a two-year period. The program has been closed to new applicants since 2021, when Hanen first ruled it was illegal.

The White House said the proposed HHS rule is part of a broader Biden administration commitment to lowering healthcare insurance costs and expanding coverage "so that every American has the peace of mind that health insurance brings."

"The President's announcement gives DACA recipients that same opportunity, as the Administration continues to urge Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers, providing them the ultimate peace of mind they need and deserve," the White House added.

As of the end of 2022, there were 580,310 immigrants enrolled in DACA, according to . The program requires applicants to meet several eligibility rules, including having arrived in the country by age 16 and before June 2007, studying in a U.S. school or serving in the military and lacking any serious criminal record.

While Dreamers enjoy bipartisan support in Congress and among the American public, a rarity in the immigration debate, Thursday's announcement could invite legal challenges and criticism from conservatives.

In the lead-up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Republican lawmakers were adamant about making sure the proposal would not benefit immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission.

In 2009, when then-President Barack Obama was pushing his health care reform in a speech before Congress, Republican Rep. Joe Wilson violated decorum to shout "you lie!" after Obama said the proposal would not benefit those living in the country illegally.

Ed O'Keefe and Steven Portnoy contributed to this report.

In:

© 2023 91³Ô¹ÏÍø. All Rights Reserved.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
const link = doc.createElement('link'); link.rel = 'stylesheet'; link.href = '/fly/fly/bundles/cbsnewscontent/css/cmp-banner.min.css?v=296763317a51cab90faa73f1bb146d5c'; doc.head.appendChild(link); doc.body.innerHTML = CONSENT_MESSAGE; } else { el.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', CONSENT_MESSAGE); } }); } function hidePrivacyMessage() { // Remove from the main document document.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); // Remove from inside any iframes document.querySelectorAll('iframe').forEach(iframe => { const doc = iframe.contentDocument || iframe.contentWindow.document; doc.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); }); } function activateGatedScripts() { // Handle both new format (cmp-gated-script) and old OneTrust/Ketch format (optanon-category-4) const gatedScripts = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('script.cmp-gated-script, script.optanon-category-4')); // Activate scripts sequentially with a small delay to avoid timing issues let delay = 0; gatedScripts.forEach(function(placeholder, index) { setTimeout(function() { // Skip if already processed if (placeholder.hasAttribute('data-cmp-processed')) { return; } placeholder.setAttribute('data-cmp-processed', 'true'); const newScript = document.createElement('script'); newScript.type = 'text/javascript'; // Try new format first (data-cmp-src), then fall back to old format (data-src) const src = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-src') || placeholder.getAttribute('data-src'); if (src) { newScript.src = src; } else if (placeholder.textContent) { // Inline script - just copy the content newScript.textContent = placeholder.textContent; } // Handle new format attributes (data-cmp-attrs) - for both inline and external scripts const attrs = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-attrs'); if (attrs) { const tempDiv = document.createElement('div'); tempDiv.innerHTML = '
<\/div>'; const tempAttrs = tempDiv.firstChild.attributes; for (let i = 0; i < tempAttrs.length; i++) { // For external scripts, allow defer/async. For inline scripts, skip them (not valid) if (src || (tempAttrs[i].name !== 'async' && tempAttrs[i].name !== 'defer')) { newScript.setAttribute(tempAttrs[i].name, tempAttrs[i].value); } } } // Copy other attributes from old OneTrust format for (let i = 0; i < placeholder.attributes.length; i++) { const attr = placeholder.attributes[i]; // Skip attributes we've already handled or don't want to copy if (!['class', 'data-src', 'data-type', 'data-cmp-src', 'data-cmp-attrs', 'data-cmp-processed', 'type', 'async', 'defer', 'src'].includes(attr.name)) { newScript.setAttribute(attr.name, attr.value); } } placeholder.parentNode.replaceChild(newScript, placeholder); // If external script, manually trigger window.onload handlers after it loads // This handles widgets that use window.onload for initialization if (src) { newScript.addEventListener('load', function() { // If page already loaded and script set a new onload handler, trigger it if (document.readyState === 'complete' && window.onload) { const originalOnload = window.onload; window.onload = null; // Clear temporarily to prevent loops originalOnload(); // Execute the handler } }); } }, delay); delay += 500; // 500ms delay between each script to allow full loading }); } cbsoptanon.onScriptsReady(function(cmp) { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (!allowed) { showPrivacyMessage(); } else { activateGatedScripts(); } }); cmp.ot.awaitInitialConsent(function(consent_model) { cmp.ot.addOnConsentChangedHandler(function() { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (allowed) { hidePrivacyMessage(); activateGatedScripts(); } else { showPrivacyMessage(); } }); }); }); });