More than 100,000 young immigrants will soon be eligible for federal health care coverage for the first time since DACA was implemented more than 10 years ago.

These are young immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, also known as the Dreamer generation.

The US government will announce a new federal regulation on May 3 (US time) that will allow DACA recipients to enroll in eligible health plans including the Medicare Basic Care Program and the Health Insurance Marketplace - two government-subsidized health care programs established under the Affordable Care Act and for low-income people.

An estimated 580,000 young people without legal immigration status who have lived in the United States since childhood are now working or studying without fear of deportation under the auspices of the DACA program. The majority of DACA recipients were born in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The DACA program has helped them access higher-paying jobs since it was first implemented in 2012. However, DACA beneficiaries still have limited access to federally funded health insurance despite contributing billions of dollars in federal taxes that have poured money into the nation’s federal health insurance system over the years.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.

While many DACA recipients only have health insurance through their jobs, it is estimated that more than a quarter of them are currently uninsured.

By implementing a federal regulation that expands the definition of “lawful presence” to include DACA recipients, they “are no longer excluded from receiving coverage from a quality health plan or financial assistance,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters at a press conference.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that more than 100,000 immigrant youth without health insurance will now have access to affordable health care.

The new federal rule does not make DACA recipients eligible for another low-income health insurance program, Medicaid, but does provide them with coverage through the Affordable Care Act and its health insurance marketplaces and financial assistance programs, according to senior administration officials.

The rule is expected to take effect on November 1, coinciding with the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period for health insurance plans in 2025, allowing newly eligible DACA recipients to access federal health care as early as December.