These illegal immigrants are eligible for Obamacare after Biden rule change

Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors and were protected from deportation under an Obama-era executive order will be able to obtain health care through Obamacare under a new rule being published Friday by the Biden administration.

Those who are protected via the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, along with other illegal immigrants, are currently prohibited from accessing healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. A rule announced Friday will end that prohibition.

The administration says it predicts that the rule, which will go into effect just days before the 2024 presidential election, will result in over 100,000 uninsured illegal immigrants accessing health insurance. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule would allow DACA recipients to apply for coverage through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces as soon as November 1. The rule does so by making what HHS calls "technical modifications" to the definition of "lawfully present" used to determine eligibility.