Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced that it will allow immigrants covered by DACA to qualify for health insurance through Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
“I applaud the Biden-Harris administration’s decision to expand health care access for DACA recipients. The current barriers to health coverage force many individuals and families to go without the care they need, including essential preventative services and life-saving treatments. Health care is a human right, and DACA recipients deserve this right, the same as all other Americans. This is a long overdue step toward providing DACA recipients the support and justice they need.”
In November, Booker, Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), led 83 colleagues in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to remove barriers that prevent Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from accessing affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. In the 117th Congress, Booker also introduced the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act, which would remove the current restrictions that prevent undocumented immigrants from purchasing care through the Affordable Care Act marketplace while ensuring these individuals are able to obtain premium-tax credits and cost-sharing reductions.