A new law passed by Congress is changing the rules about which federal programs immigrants can use. NILC will be updating this resource in the coming weeks. Please refer to our overview of this new law for now.
Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), individuals who are “lawfully present” in the United States have been eligible for new affordable coverage options since January 1, 2014. In July 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defined “lawfully present” for purposes of eligibility for the ACA’s high-risk insurance pools, referred to as the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIP). In August 2012, the definition was revised to exclude individuals granted deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). This definition, codified at 45 C.F.R. section 152.2, generally tracked the definition used in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to provide affordable coverage to low-income children and pregnant people who are lawfully residing in the U.S. Under the PCIP definition, “lawfully present” individuals include not only those classified as “qualified” immigrants, but several other categories of non-U.S. citizens who have permission to live and/or work in the U.S. HHS and the U.S. Department of Treasury adopted the PCIP definition of “lawfully present” in their final rules on eligibility to enroll in the state or federally-run health insurance exchanges and to apply for premium tax credits to help make health insurance affordable.
In May 2024, HHS revised this definition for purposes of ACA coverage and subsidies to include DACA recipients, and to clarify eligibility for certain other groups. These rules, codified at 45 C.F.R. §155.20, became effective on November 1, 2024. On December 9, 2024, a District Court temporarily blocked these rules in 19 states that challenged the inclusion of DACA recipients. As that case was proceeding, HHS issued a new rule, excluding DACA recipients but preserving the clarifications in the prior rule. The new rule becomes effective on August 25, 2025.
The immigration categories described below are considered “lawfully present” for ACA eligibility purposes.
Read MoreOverview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs
Updated Oct 6, 2026 This resource focuses on eligibility and other rules governing immigrants’ access to federal public benefits programs. Originally published in November 2015.
What Immigrants Need to Know About the New ACA Eligibility Restrictions
Sarah Krieger
Published Oct 9, 2026 Congress has ensured that immigrant families will struggle more to afford health coverage and necessary care when open enrollment begins next month.