People With DACA Can Now Purchase Affordable Care Act Marketplace Coverage

Open enrollment to purchase health insurance for 2025 through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces is underway. For the first time, people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and certain other lawfully present immigration statuses can buy private insurance in the ACA marketplaces because of a policy change modifying the immigration-related eligibility requirements for enrollment in these programs. These newly eligible people can also access financial assistance to make buying coverage more affordable if they meet income- and tax-related requirements for financial help. Also, those with DACA in Oregon and Minnesota can enroll in the Basic Health Program in those states, and people with DACA in New York can enroll in that state’s Essential Health Plan.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates about 100,000 people with DACA and certain other immigration statuses could gain access to affordable health coverage because of this policy. Access to coverage means people will have more protections against medical debt, better access to health services, and a higher likelihood of experiencing better health outcomes, giving them more opportunities to thrive.

Significant effort from a variety of stakeholders is needed to raise awareness about this new opportunity to enroll. That’s why the National Immigration Law Center and other groups have launched the ACA4DACA campaign: to encourage and support state and local advocates and media organizations to conduct outreach and spread the news. The campaign has signed up hundreds of groups from across the country that plan to get involved in outreach. To support these efforts, the ACA4DACA campaign will provide a toolkit of materials, including social media, flyers, and other resources.

For a number of reasons, people who would benefit from expanded eligibility for health coverage may have challenges in learning they are newly eligible — that’s why effective outreach by trusted messengers is so important. For example, many people newly eligible may have been told for years that they were barred from accessing health coverage in the marketplaces, so they may tune out when they hear about marketplace coverage. They may get information from media outlets that have not been prioritized for marketplace outreach, such as social media and radio, newspapers, and TV stations in their preferred languages; these outlets can be key allies in getting the word out about the changes in eligibility and how to enroll.

It will be critical for multiple, trusted messengers to help people learn about the new opportunity to enroll, and to support people as they navigate the marketplace rules and processes. One important barrier that outreach must help overcome is that many people who are immigrants may fear interacting with government programs. This will require everyone engaged in outreach — HHS, state marketplaces, state Medicaid agencies, health coverage assisters, and other trusted groups — to reassure people that enrolling in ACA marketplace coverage (or other ACA coverage like Basic Health Plans) will not negatively impact them or their family members when they apply for an immigration status and go through a public charge assessment. Efforts such as ACA4DACA are crucial to multiple stakeholder groups with information and resources to get the word out.

Even though the DACA program as a whole and the policy change that ended the bar on affordable health coverage for people with DACA face legal challenges, people with DACA meet the immigration-related requirement for the ACA marketplace coverage today and they should enroll to gain access to the peace of mind that comes with health insurance coverage.

The majority of U.S. voters support permanent legal status for people with DACA. Ultimately, Congress should act to end the uncertainty for people with DACA and create a pathway to citizenship for them and other people who have lived and worked in this nation for many years and are vital parts of our communities.