Issued May 03, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement on the Biden Administration’s final rule allowing DACA recipients to access Affordable Care Act coverage:
“The two million working people united in SEIU celebrate today’s important step by the Biden Administration to expand access to vital Affordable Care Act coverage to DACA recipients. DACA recipients have lived in this country as our friends, neighbors and coworkers for decades, and it’s only right that they should have access to quality, affordable healthcare coverage. People with DACA are essential workers in our union who care for people with disabilities, and the sons and daughters of our union members who do essential work and live in mixed-status families. After having been excluded for decades, DACA recipients soon will be able to sign up for health insurance through www.healthcare.gov or their state equivalent. This rule is a welcome but long overdue move to lift restrictions that have prevented DACA recipients from receiving the care they need. We applaud the Biden Administration for taking this necessary step and urge President Biden to pair this announcement with a robust outreach and enrollment campaign to ensure that no eligible recipient is left behind.
This represents an undeniable win in the fight to advance health equity while we continue the larger struggle to secure justice and a meaningful pathway to citizenship for immigrants remains as urgent as ever. Access to basic health care is essential, and being able to thrive means living without the fear that you or your family members could be deported at a moment’s notice. We reiterate our call on Congress to pass comprehensive legislation allowing DACA and Temporary Protected Status holders and other long-settled hard-working undocumented immigrants to finally receive the protections working people have long demanded.”