A federal judge has blocked Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients in 19 states from signing up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia are impacted by the ruling.
More than 100,000 “Dreamers” — undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children — became eligible to sign up for the ACA at the beginning of November.
The judge said allowing DACA recipients to access ACA violates a law that bars undocumented people from receiving public benefits.
Before November, DACA recipients were only eligible for health insurance through their jobs or state programs.
Despite this ruling, DACA recipients in North Carolina can still sign up for "Obamacare," former President Barack Obama's health care law. That’s because the lawsuit only applies to the states who signed onto it, and North Carolina did not.
Under the rule change effective in November, 20,000 “Dreamers” in North Carolina became eligible to sign up for health insurance coverage, according to the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.
“It was a huge advancement on our policies and on our strategies to have everyone secure and have affordable health insurance,” said Natalie Marles, of Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.
Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act health insurance ends on Dec. 15 and coverage begins on Jan. 1.
