WASHINGTON, DC - First, the Biden administration wants American taxpayers to fund the education of student loan scofflaws who make in excess of six figures per year. Now, according to the Dallas Morning News, they want taxpayers on the hook for health insurance for illegal aliens.
The Biden administration issued a directive last week that will put roughly 100,000 illegal aliens who came to the country as children under the so-called “Affordable Care Act” health insurance program next year.
Initially, Biden proposed a plan that would have allowed illegal immigrants to sign up for Medicaid, offering them nearly free coverage. However, the implementation of this plan has been delayed, taking longer than Biden had initially promised.
The so-called “dreamers” will get access to tax breaks when they sign up for coverage after the ACA opens for enrollment on November 4, only days before the 2024 presidential election.
“I’m proud of the contributions of dreamers to our country and committed to providing dreamers the support they need to succeed,” Biden said in a statement Friday, which came just after April’s jobs report came out and fell far short of estimates, another sign of a weak economy.
Biden hopes the move will boost his sagging poll numbers among Hispanics, a crucial group he needs to win in November. Polls have consistently shown his numbers lagging while Trump’s are surging among that demographic. It is expected that conservatives will be vocal critics of the move, which comes amid a virtual invasion at the southern border.
Those eligible would have entered the country under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, most of whom are Hispanics.
On Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said many of those illegals have not yet gotten or delayed care since they do not have insurance coverage.
“They incur higher costs and debts when they do finally receive care,” Becerra told reporters on a conference call. “Making dreamers eligible to enroll in coverage will improve their health and well-being and strengthen the health and well-being of our nation and our economy.”
Obama launched DACA to protect illegals who came to the country as children from deportation. They were denied government-subsidized health insurance because they had no “lawful presence” in the United States.
Other classes of immigrants, such as asylum seekers and people with temporary protected status, are already eligible to purchase insurance under the ACA through the various marketplaces provided by the ACA.
Last year, Biden issued an executive order to fight off legal challenges to DACA. Former President Donald Trump tried to end it, and it has been going back and forth in federal courts. Last fall, a federal judge ruled the current version can stay in place for now.
“President Biden and I will continue to do everything in our power to protect DACA, but it is only a temporary solution,” cackled Kamala Harris in a statement. “Congress must act to ensure dreamers have the permanent protections they deserve.
In response to Biden’s plan, the Trump campaign on Friday criticized the decision.
Campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump would “Seal the border, stop the invasion, and expand economic opportunity for American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
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