Lawmakers Oppose Plan to Cut Health Care for DACA Recipients

Legislators Challenge Proposal Affecting DACA Health Care Access

In a recent move, U.S. lawmakers are pushing back against a proposed policy change by the Trump administration that could significantly impact health care access for those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Among those leading the charge are Sen. Mark Kelly and Congressman Greg Stanton, both prominent Democrats from Arizona.

Kelly and Stanton, alongside 118 other legislators, have expressed their opposition through a collective letter addressed to Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy. The letter criticizes the agency’s intention to prevent DACA recipients from enrolling in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, a move they argue would deny affordable health care to tens of thousands of immigrants.

Originally established during the Obama administration, the DACA program offers certain undocumented individuals, who were brought to the U.S. as children, protection from deportation and work authorization. However, it does not provide a pathway to citizenship. Importantly, DACA recipients gained the right to access ACA health plans at the end of the previous year.

The recent proposal by the Trump administration, introduced in March, seeks to overturn this access, effectively reversing the policy change that allowed DACA recipients to benefit from the ACA. This proposal has sparked significant concern among legislators who argue it would severely limit health care options for a vulnerable population.