Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Recipients Eligibility

Get Covered New Jersey understands how important access to quality, affordable health insurance is for our residents, and is committed to providing up-to-date and clear information about how federal changes affect our consumers’ ability to access coverage and care. Due to recent rule changes made by the federal government, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are no longer eligible to enroll in coverage through Marketplaces nationwide, including Get Covered New Jersey. Current DACA enrollees will not lose coverage immediately. Active DACA enrollees will receive a communication from Get Covered New Jersey about their coverage in the coming weeks.

In June, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published the 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule. This federal rule removed DACA recipients from the definition of “lawfully present” for eligibility and enrollment through Affordable Care Act Marketplaces like Get Covered New Jersey. Get Covered New Jersey is required to comply with this federal rule.

New Jersey Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program

The New Jersey Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program furthers the state's commitment to expanding access to quality, affordable health coverage through Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace. This program allows uninsured residents to indicate their interest in health coverage for themselves or a household member when filing their tax return.

New Jersey residents can indicate on their State Income Tax Return that they allow GetCoveredNJ to help them obtain coverage and complete the NJ-EZ Enroll Form, which is part of the 2024 Income Tax Forms, to connect to the Marketplace. After the department receives referral information from the Department of Treasury’s Division of Taxation, GetCoveredNJ will provide the consumer information on coverage options.

Governor Murphy signed legislation in 2022 that created the New Jersey Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program to make it easier for residents to obtain health insurance through Get Covered New Jersey.

Consumers can use the following step-by-step guides:

• Existing Consumer - Enrolling in coverage if you were referred to GetCoveredNJ
• New Consumer - Enrolling in coverage if you were referred to GetCoveredNJ (You received a notice with an Access Code from GetCoveredNJ)

For more information, see New Jersey Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Federal and State Savings

The federal government passed a COVID-19 relief bill, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. The law reduces health insurance premiums by providing more financial help to eligible consumers who purchase a plan through Get Covered New Jersey. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 continues these savings through 2025. The State of New Jersey is also providing more financial help to lower health insurance costs for residents enrolling at Get Covered New Jersey.

More people than ever now qualify for financial help. If you did not qualify for financial help before 2021 because your income was too high, you may qualify under the state and federal changes. These changes make coverage more affordable at many income levels.

The State of New Jersey remains focused on improving residents’ access to quality, affordable health insurance. The financial help available through the federal government and the State of New Jersey builds on the state’s efforts to provide access to health coverage for more New Jerseyans.

Here are more details on the federal and state savings:

• Increases in financial help for all eligible consumers. The amount of financial help is based on household income just like before, but in 2021 increased at every income level due to more financial help provided by both the state and federal government. The record levels of savings remain available due to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
  
  
• New financial help for higher incomes. Previously, financial help was not available for households making more than $51,040 for an individual or $104,800 for a family of four. The federal changes ensure that no family spends more than 8.5% of their income on health insurance premiums for a benchmark plan - at any income. This means many individuals who previously did not qualify for financial help from the federal government may see more affordable premiums. On top of the federal financial help, the State of New Jersey also increased financial help to higher incomes, to further lower premiums.