Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration has proposed shortening the annual Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage enrollment period by one month and ending enrollment entirely for Dreamers.

A proposed rule released Monday would shorten open enrollment for ACA coverage, known informally as Obamacare, from November 1 through December 15, instead of through January 15.

"This proposal aims to reduce consumer confusion, streamline the enrollment process, align more closely with open enrollment dates for many employer-based health plans, encourage continuous coverage, and reduce the risk of adverse selection from consumers who otherwise may wait to enroll until they need health care services," the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) wrote in a fact sheet explaining the changes.

The Trump administration has also proposed amending the definition of the eligibility requirement so that applicants must be "lawfully present" in the US to exclude Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

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DACA provides protection from deportation and work authorization to over 535,000 people who came to the US without documentation as children, known as Dreamers.

The Biden administration had moved to give some Dreamers access to long-denied health coverage under the ACA, but a federal judge in December blocked enforcement of the rule in 19 states.

The CMS further proposed that gender-affirming care would not be considered part of the essential health benefits all ACA plans must cover.