Biden Administration Extends Obamacare Coverage To DACA Recipients, Drawing Criticism From Republicans

The Biden administration announced Friday that it has finalized a rule extending Obamacare coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers.

The rule modifies the definition of “lawfully present” in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to include beneficiaries of the DACA program, making them eligible for a number of different health programs.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) decried the decision, stating, “There’s an unprecedented crisis at our southern border, we’ve got major conflicts around the world, and families all across Ohio are getting crushed by inflation. Joe Biden’s response to all this is to give your hard-earned money away to illegal immigrants in the form of taxpayer-funded healthcare. This is a slap in the face to every hardworking American who plays by the rules, and it would never happen if Donald Trump were president.”

Last year, Vance, alongside Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), introduced the No Obamacare for Illegal Aliens Act in an effort to block the scenario from taking place. The lawmakers had also sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, calling on the agency to bar illegal immigrants from being able to use Obamacare.

The Biden administration’s decision is expected to provide health insurance to more than 100,000 “dreamers” who arrived in the United States illegally but were under the age of 16. During the Democratic presidential primary, Joe Biden and every other candidate pledged they would extend taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage to illegal immigrants.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR