13 States, Including Oregon, Stand Up for Dreamers’ Access to Affordable Care Act
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said Wednesday that the state will join 13 other states in a lawsuit to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiaries’ access to health insurance.
This lawsuit follows a court challenge that jeopardized DACA recipients’ ability to obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The states are stepping in to uphold a rule that was put into force on November 1, 2024, by the Biden administration.
DACA recipients, sometimes known as “Dreamers,” are permitted to enroll in health care plans under the ACA for the first time under this rule.
In August 2024, a group of states led by Kansas filed a lawsuit challenging the rule, starting the legal dispute. The rule is still in effect in Oregon and the majority of other jurisdictions, enabling DACA recipients to obtain health insurance coverage, even if a district court barred its implementation in some states.
Oregon is one of the states stepping in to defend this access and guarantee that Dreamers can sign up for ACA health plans.
This lawsuit was filed one month after former Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum introduced the Sanctuary Promise Community Toolkit, a resource designed to educate Oregonians about the state’s sanctuary laws and resources for immigrant communities.
This makes the timing of the action noteworthy. By enacting laws that prohibit state and local governments from aiding federal immigration enforcement without a judge’s approval, Oregon became the nation’s first sanctuary state in 1987.
The Sanctuary Promise Act of 2021, which emphasized Oregon’s dedication to assisting immigrant populations, significantly enhanced these safeguards and created a statewide hotline for reporting infractions.
Established in 2012, the DACA program offers some young people who were brought to the United States as children temporary protection from deportation. The program not only shields eligible participants from deportation but also permits them to work lawfully in the United States.
In addition to meeting a number of other requirements, people must have resided in the United States continuously since 2007. For hundreds of thousands of Dreamers, the program has given them a sense of stability and security.
According to the states’ legal action, DACA recipients will suffer serious consequences if the court decides to repeal the provision that permits them to obtain ACA health insurance coverage.
DACA recipients make significant contributions to the American economy and are essential to it. Officials estimate that each year, DACA recipients pay $3.3 billion in state and local taxes and $6.2 billion in federal taxes.
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Additionally, more than 250,000 children of U.S. citizens rely on their parents who are DACA recipients. The health, happiness, and families of Dreamers may suffer if their health coverage is taken away.
Along with safeguarding DACA applicants’ access to health care, Oregon and the other states in the lawsuit are emphasizing the wider advantages of incorporating Dreamers into health care plans. If DACA recipients are permitted to enroll, states like Oregon who run their own healthcare exchanges may gain access to a wider risk pool.
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Greater numbers of insured people may contribute to reduced premiums for all participants, which would benefit the general public and make health insurance more accessible.
This legal endeavor is not unique to Oregon. In favor of Dreamers’ access to the Affordable Care Act, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Vermont are among the states that have joined the lawsuit.
Together, these states are defending DACA beneficiaries’ access to healthcare and making sure they don’t fall behind in their quest for reasonably priced health insurance.