the biden administration is proposing a rule that if finalized would open eligibility for medicaid and the affordable care acts 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 prodaca protestors hold a march outside of the capitol building calling for a pathway to citizenship nov 17 2022 in washington dc anadolu agency via getty images health care should be a right not a privilege and my administrations worked hard to expand health care and today more americans have health insurance than ever president joe biden said in a prerecorded video announcing the decision todays announcement is about giving daca recipients the same opportunity more daca recipients leaving us disheartened by legal limbo health and human services secretary xavier becerra applauded the decision noting about 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 more daca protections remain in place for now but appeals court orders more review and says its illegal advocates say undocumented immigrants and daca recipients deserve to be rewarded for their help keeping the economy afloat during the height of the covid19 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 more daca health care workers worry about their status amid coronavirus pandemic 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 its so expensive and its such a big part of my financials being a small business owner that im still very paranoid about getting sick or being in an accident its just absolute paranoia bouhid said this comes as a huge relief to know that if something does happen i