拜登政府正在提出一项规则，如果最终确定，将向“童年抵美延期行动”计划的受益者开放医疗补助和患者保护与平价医疗法案医疗保险交易所的资格。
周四，白宫宣布卫生与公众服务部正计划提出一项规则，扩大“合法存在”的定义，以包括DACA奖获得者，也被称为“梦想家”据白宫称，政府打算在本月底前实施政策变化。
“医疗保健应该是一种权利，而不是特权，我的政府一直在努力扩大医疗保健。今天，有健康保险的美国人比以往任何时候都多，”总统乔·拜登在一段预先录制的讲话中说录像宣布决定。“今天的宣布是为了给DACA获奖者同样的机会。”
卫生与公众服务部部长泽维尔·韦塞拉对这一决定表示赞同，注意目前大约三分之一的DACA受益人没有医疗保险。
一些接受者通过工作、服兵役和一些州向他们扩展的项目获得了保险。
倡导者说，无证移民和DACA受助人应该得到奖励，因为他们在新冠肺炎疫情高潮时帮助保持了经济的运转。
“这些人提供医疗保健或其他类型的护理，帮助维持小企业的运营，确保人们有饭吃。与此同时，在疫情战争期间，这些人是我们前线工作人员的一部分，但他们自己却无法获得我们其他人能够获得的许多援助项目，”移民中心执行主任塞尔吉奥·冈萨雷斯说。“这不仅完全不公平、不公正，而且毫无意义。当我们有更健康的人，我们有能够获得医疗保健的人，推动整个国家向前发展。这确保了我们有更健康的社区。”
DACA奖获得者帕洛玛·布希德说，她在疫情期间失去了旅游和酒店工作，并“害怕”感染COVID，因此失去了医疗保险。她最近开办了自己的公司，为客户组织家居、商业和其他空间，并不得不为她必须接受的一些医疗测试购买私人保险。
“作为一个小企业主，它太贵了，在我的财务中占了很大一部分，所以我仍然非常担心生病或发生事故。这完全是偏执狂，”Bouhid说。“这让我如释重负，因为我知道如果真的发生了什么事，我可以照顾好自己，优先考虑自己的健康，并且知道一切都会好起来。
虽然移民倡导者基本上赞扬了总统的声明，但一些保守派抨击了他为DACA受助者扩大医疗保健的计划。
“奖励非法移民会带来更多的非法移民。这是对美国公民身份的侮辱，”共和党参议员汤姆·科顿说发微博。
根据美国公民和移民服务局收集的数据显示，目前约有58万人接受该计划，近80万年轻移民受益于DACA。该计划由奥巴马-拜登政府在2012年推出，允许一些小时候被带到美国的移民在美国合法工作和居留，如果他们满足几个严格的要求，可以延长最长两年。DACA教不提供获得公民身份的途径。
自成立以来，多重法律挑战一直威胁着DACA的命运，目前一场诉讼正在得克萨斯州地方法院进行。2021年，美国地方法院法官安德鲁·哈宁裁定该计划非法。一个联邦上诉法院后来维持了他的决定，但允许在下级法院审查拜登政府将该计划编入行政法的努力之前，对目前接受者的保护仍然存在。尽管接受者仍被允许通过DACA每两年申请更新一次身份，但新的申请人已被禁止申请近两年。
Biden announces plan to expand health care coverage for DACA recipients
The Biden administration is proposing a rule that, if finalized, would open eligibility for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program.
On Thursday, the White House announced the Department of Health and Human Services is planning to put forward a rule that expands the definition of "lawful presence" to include DACA recipients, also known as "Dreamers." The administration intends to implement the policy change by the end of the month, according to the White House.
"Health care should be a right, not a privilege, and my administration's worked hard to expand health care. And today, more Americans have health insurance than ever," President Joe Biden said in a pre-recordedvideoannouncing the decision. "Today's announcement is about giving DACA recipients the same opportunity."
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra applauded the decision,notingabout a third of current DACA recipients do not have health insurance.
Some recipients have had access to coverage through work, military service, and programs some states have expanded to them.
Advocates say undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients deserve to be rewarded for their help keeping the economy afloat during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"These were people who were providing health care, or providing other types of care, helping keep small businesses open and ensuring that people had food to eat. At the same time, many of these same individuals who were part of our frontline workforce during the pandemic, they themselves were left behind unable to access many of the assistance programs that the rest of us were able to access," said Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub. "Not only was this just completely unfair and unjust, but it also makes no sense. When we have healthier people and we have people who are able to access health care that moves the entire country forward. That ensures that we have healthier communities at large."
Paloma Bouhid, a DACA recipient, says she lost health care coverage when she was laid off from her tourism and hospitality job during the pandemic and was "terrified" of contracting COVID. She recently started her own company organizing homes, businesses and other spaces for clients and had to get private insurance for some medical tests she had to undergo.
"It's so expensive and it's such a big part of my financials, being a small business owner, that I'm still very paranoid about getting sick or being in an accident. It's just absolute paranoia," Bouhid said. "This comes as a huge relief to know that if something does happen I am covered and I can take care of myself and prioritize my health and know that's going to be okay.
While immigrant advocates largely praised the president's announcement, some conservatives slammed his plan to expand health care for DACA recipients.
"Rewarding illegal immigration will bring more illegal immigration. This is an insult to American citizenship," Republican Sen. Tom Cottontweeted.
Pro-DACA protestors hold a march outside of the U.S. Capitol Building calling for a pathway to citizenship on November 17th, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
There are approximately 580,000 current recipients of the program, and nearly 800,000 young migrants have benefited from DACA, according to data collected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shows. The program was launched by the Obama-Biden administration in 2012, which allowed some immigrants who were brought to the country as children to legally work and stay in the country for renewable periods of up to two years if they meet several strict requirements. DACA does not provide a pathway to citizenship.
Multiple legal challenges have threatened the fate of DACA since its inception, with a current lawsuit working its way through district court in Texas. In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen ruled that the program was unlawful. A federal appeals court later upheld his decision but allowed protections for current recipients to remain in place pending the lower court's review of the Biden administration's efforts to codify the program into administrative law. While recipients are still allowed to apply to renew their status every two years through DACA, new applicants have been barred for nearly two years.
