Trump administration makes sweeping changes to ObamaCare, ends ‘Dreamer’ coverage

President Donald Trump’s administration pumped the brakes on the extent of coverage under ObamaCare as part of a new rule expected to save billions of dollars and deter “Dreamers.”

Set into motion 15 years earlier, then-President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law, upending the health insurance industry under the guise of improving healthcare. Friday, after years of empty promises to repeal the law “root and branch,” the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule undoing former President Joe Biden’s effort to provide health insurance to illegal aliens.

Toward ensuring subsidies only fulfill the express goals of the ACA, CMS detailed, “Reinstating HHS’ longstanding 2012 interpretation of ‘lawfully present’ to exclude Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from eligibility and enrollment in ACA Exchange coverage and Basic Health Program (BHP) coverage in States that elect to operate a BHP, including [advanced payments of the premium tax credit], premium tax credits, and cost-sharing reductions.”

“CMS is restoring integrity to ACA Exchanges by cracking down on fraud, protecting American taxpayer dollars, and ensuring coverage is there for those who truly need it,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “This is about putting patients first, stopping exploitation of the system, and realigning the program with the values of personal responsibility and fiscal discipline.”

He went on to post on X, “I’m excited to share that [CMS] finalized major policy changes that will lower individual health insurance premiums by 5% on average and is expected to save taxpayers up to $12 billion in 2026! We’re combating improper enrollments, reining in wasteful spending, and refocusing the markets to be more affordable and sustainable for American families.”

It’s time that we restore integrity to the ACA Exchanges and ensure the coverage is there for those who need it. We estimate that over 4 million people may have been improperly enrolled in 2024 – many not even knowing they were enrolled or that their plan changed! So we’re adding…

— DrOzCMS (@DrOzCMS) June 20, 2025

“It’s time that we restore integrity to the ACA Exchanges and ensure the coverage is there for those who need it,” said Oz. “We estimate that over 4 million people may have been improperly enrolled in 2024 — many not even knowing that they were enrolled or that their plan changed! So we’re adding verification policies to ensure the people who need and qualify for ACA Exchange coverage and benefits are the ones who are getting them.”

In addition to removing DACA eligibility, CMS tightened the open enrollment period that begins Nov. 1 by setting the end date to Dec. 31 instead of Jan. 15. As part of the president’s effort to tamp down on taxpayer-funded gender ideology, the agency also banned coverage of “sex-trait modification.”

“Prohibiting federal subsidies from being used to help cover the cost of specified sex-trait modification procedures to align an individual’s physical appearance or body with an asserted identity that differs from the individual’s sex,” read the press release.

The latest action from the administration followed a December ruling from U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor, who had granted a stay for 19 states challenging Biden’s rule on providing coverage to illegals under DACA that would have reportedly allowed nearly 150,000 illegals to enroll for coverage.

It also came the same week that Obama defended DACA on its thirteenth anniversary, disregarding the rule of law with talking points on people “who just want to live, work, and support their communities … being demonized and treated as enemies,” earning scorn from many who maintained he was “the most divisive president we’ve ever had.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also weighed in on the rule and said, “We are strengthening health insurance markets for American families and protecting taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse. With this rule, we’re lowering marketplace premiums, expanding coverage for families, and ensuring that illegal aliens do not receive taxpayer-funded health insurance.”

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

Latest posts by Kevin Haggerty (see all)

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.