A large coalition of congressional Democrats want the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to further prioritize Affordable Care Act access for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
In a letter to the agency, 88 lawmakers pushed the department to invest more in outreach and enrollment assistance to DACAs before open enrollment in November.
Approximately 100,000 uninsured DACA recipients will be eligible for health insurance through the individual marketplace, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in May. The decision was supported by the American Medical Association.
These recipients can enroll starting Nov. 1 and can receive benefits by Dec. 1 if they enroll by Nov. 15.
“Given this unique and time-sensitive opportunity, it is imperative that DACA recipients know of this opportunity, are informed about their eligibility, and are able to navigate the registration process so that they can take full advantage of their new access to medical care,” the members wrote in the letter.
Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Michael Bennett (D-Colorado) and Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-N.J.) and Barbara Lee (D-California) are among those calling for action from the department.
More than 100,000 DACA recipients are from Texas and New Jersey. Recent data shows that more than a quarter of DACA recipients are uninsured.
Democrats said HHS should put funding toward paid media outreach and “organizations to disseminate information” as well as implement a targeted outreach program since most DACA recipients are young and “hard to reach.”
“With a plurality of DACA recipients preferring to get information about health coverage from a government website, HHS needs to ensure this information is not only available, but actively publicized and promoted to them,” the letter continues.
They also want navigators, application counselors, brokers and agents and call center workers to receive training to best assist DACA recipients in obtaining coverage. In addition, the letter highlights the potential for fraud through the program.
“HHS should proactively take steps to prevent any attempts at scams or fraud of newly eligible DACA recipients, given reports of unauthorized plan switching, as well as scammers targeting DACA recipients, both online and through other methods,” the letter said.
Republican lawmakers called attention recently to reports of ACA plans improperly enrolling individuals through zero-premium plans, a circumstance exceedingly common in nine states including Florida.