Charlotte, N.C. – HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment 2025 kicked off today with a press conference in Charlotte hosted by Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy (Advocacy Center) and the NC Navigator Consortium with experts who explained the final rule that allows DACA recipients and other immigrant groups to purchase health insurance through HealthCare.gov. The event also included guest speaker Endy Mendez who is a DACA recipient and health insurance navigator working for the NC Navigator Consortium in Winston-Salem, N.C. After the press conference, navigators helped consumers enroll in and update their HealthCare.gov plans.

During Open Enrollment, health insurance navigators at the Advocacy Center work directly with everyone eligible in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Union Counties to help them save money on high quality, affordable health insurance plans on the HealthCare.gov Health Insurance Marketplace®. (Navigators also help those eligible enroll in NC Medicaid.) HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment will run Nov. 1, 2024, through Jan. 15, 2025. More information is available at charlottelegaladvocacy.org/getcovered.

“November 1 marks an important milestone for DACA recipients and many more people who are called ‘lawfully present immigrants’,” said Natalie Marles, the health insurance navigator project manager for the Advocacy Center. “Not only will they have access to healthcare, they may qualify for premium tax credits and other savings on Marketplace plans.”

According to HealthCare.gov: “The term ‘lawfully present’ includes immigrants who have:

• ‘Qualified non-citizen’ immigration status.
• Humanitarian statuses or circumstances (including Temporary Protected Status, Special Juvenile Status, asylum applicants, Convention Against Torture, and victims of trafficking).
• Valid non-immigrant visas.
• Legal status conferred by other laws (temporary resident status, LIFE Act, Family Unity individuals).”

“More than 20,000 DACA recipients reside in North Carolina according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and because of the new rule, they are now eligible for Marketplace plans,” said Marles. “These North Carolinians are your friends, neighbors and coworkers.”

“I am a DACA recipient myself and am currently struggling with renal failure,” said Mendez, a dedicated advocate for the immigrant community in Forsyth and Guilford Counties, N.C. “The lack of access to (the Affordable Care Act) had a huge impact in my life last year.” Mendez has been a health insurance navigator since July 2024, helping others gain access to affordable health coverage. 

“There are still many subsidies and tax credits available through HealthCare.gov, and four out of five families can get coverage for less than $10 a month,” said Nicholas Riggs, director of the NC Navigator Consortium. “It’s important to remember that those who are eligible for NC Medicaid can also use our health insurance navigators to learn more and enroll.”

As a member of the North Carolina Navigator Consortium, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy navigators are available to provide free, unbiased advice to residents of Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Union Counties. Navigators are federally certified and extensively trained in the insurance plan options offered by the Marketplace, in addition to cost-sharing reductions and premium tax credits eligibility. Additional assistance is provided to consumers who are disabled, do not speak English or are unfamiliar with health insurance.

Free appointments with a local navigator can be made using the statewide appointment hotline at 1-855-733-3711 or local at 980-256-3782 or online at charlottelegaladvocacy.org/getcovered. 

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy can provide those in need with information, advice and advocacy in consumer protection, home preservation, health care access and public benefits, immigration, tax assistance and more. Our mission is to pursue justice for those in need. Our vision is to build a just community, where all people are treated fairly and have access to legal representation to meet their basic human needs of safety, economic security and stability. Learn more: charlottelegaladvocacy.org.

Started in 2014, the NC Navigator Consortium is the only federally funded Navigator entity in the state that serves all 100 counties across North Carolina. Learn more at ncnavigator.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Members of the Consortium are Access East, Care Ring, CareReach, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Cumberland HealthNET, HealthNet Gaston, Kintegra Health, Mountain Projects, NC Field and Pisgah Legal Services. The Consortium is led by Legal Aid of North Carolina. 

Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity. Learn more at legalaidnc.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

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