HPP– A federal judge in North Dakota has halted a rule from the Biden administration that permitted DACA recipients to enroll in health insurance via the Affordable Care Act.
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor ruled in favor of 19 Republican state attorneys general who had initiated a lawsuit in August aimed at blocking the implementation of a rule, asserting that it contravenes a law that forbids providing public benefits to individuals lacking legal immigration status. Traynor received his appointment from Trump during the initial term of his presidency.
Individuals benefiting from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program started enrolling for coverage under the Affordable Care Act when open enrollment commenced on Nov. 1. Those who registered were anticipated to begin receiving coverage as soon as Jan. 1.
The affected states include-
- Alabama,
- Arkansas,
- Florida,
- Idaho,
- Indiana,
- Iowa,
- Kansas,
- Kentucky,
- Missouri,
- Montana,
- Nebraska,
- New Hampshire,
- North Dakota,
- Ohio,
- South Carolina,
- South Dakota,
- Tennessee.
They were prohibited from accessing government-funded health insurance, leaving them with no choice but to obtain coverage through their employment or state programs that provide it. Some individuals remained without insurance or depended on affordable or complimentary services provided by community health clinics.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who spearheaded the legal challenge against the Biden administration, described it as a “significant victory for the rule of law.”
“Congress never intended that illegal aliens should receive Obama care benefits,” he wrote in a post on X.
An executive action was signed in June 2012 by then-President Barack Obama, aimed at safeguarding undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children from deportation and providing them with work authorization.