Obamacare coverage for DACA recipients blocked by federal judge
A federal judge in North Dakota blocked a Biden administration rule that allowed DACA recipients to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
A federal judge in North Dakota blocked a Biden administration rule that allowed DACA recipients to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor sided with a group of 19 Republican state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit in August to prevent the rule from taking effect, saying it violates a law that prohibits giving public benefits to people without legal immigration status. Traynor was appointed by Trump during his first term in office.
People who received benefits from DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, began signing up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, at the start of open enrollment on Nov. 1. Coverage for those who signed up was expected to start as early as Jan. 1.
They had been barred from getting government-funded health insurance, meaning their only option was to get coverage through their jobs or state programs that offer it. Others went uninsured or relied on low cost or free care through community health clinics.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who led the legal effort against the Biden administration, called it a “big win for the rule of law.”
Rating: 5