CHC Applauds President Biden Decision to Provide DACA Recipients Access to Affordable Care Act Benefits
The decision will deliver a signature win to CHC on a priority issue
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Nanette Barragán and CHC leadership issued the following statement on President Biden's announcement that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients will soon be able to access Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid benefits:
"Today, we applaud President Biden's decision to provide more equitable access to health care to hundreds-of-thousands of Latinos in our communities and throughout the country. This decision also marks a significant accomplishment for the CHC. This change in policy has been a priority for the CHC and we have pushed multiple Administrations to provide access to quality, affordable, health care for DACA recipients. This morning, the hard work of the CHC, our members, and DACA recipients and advocates has paid off. The change CHC fought for is finally underway.
As a result of this change, approximately 600,000 DACA recipients and their U.S. citizen children will be able to secure and purchase health insurance through the ACA. Access to ACA and Medicaid benefits will allow a significant number of Latinos to improve their quality of life, obtain affordable, quality health care, and make way for a healthier future for our communities.
We thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their commitment to Latino communities who have historically been disadvantaged when it comes to accessing health care. We also ask the Department of Health and Human Services to act with urgency and implement the changes as soon as possible so that DACA recipients can quickly access the benefits that - as taxpayers - they have earned."
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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.