Nearly 1 million Americans are getting $500 checks from the federal government after the Trump Administration concluded that money collected through Affordable Care Act marketplace fees should be returned to consumers.
President Trump announced the refunds Thursday, saying checks will begin going out in the coming weeks to eligible people who bought coverage through Healthcare.gov without receiving federal premium subsidies.
“Nearly 1 million hardworking Americans in 30 states will soon be getting refunds of $500 each, with a check sent to their home address,” Trump said.
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The money comes from roughly $500 million in surplus user-fee collections held by the federal government.
Insurers that sell plans through the federal ACA marketplace pay user fees to the government. Those costs can be reflected in premiums. The White House says the Biden Administration collected more than it needed to operate the exchange and that the excess should be returned to the people.
“Our administration has discovered that under Sleepy Joe Biden, American households buying health insurance through the Obamacare exchange … were massively overcharged,” Trump said.
The administration is calling the payments “Working Families Obamacare Refunds.”
The $500 checks are slated for people who purchased Healthcare.gov coverage without federal premium subsidies in 30 states, including Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
About 1 million people are expected to qualify.
The announcement comes as health-care affordability remains a major concern. An April KFF poll found 64% of adults worried about affording health-care costs, tied with concern over gasoline and transportation.
The refunds also arrive less than two months before the Nov. 3 midterms, one day after Trump separately proposed a $5,000 “Trump dividend” for adults if Republicans retain both chambers of Congress.
Watch the clip below:
NEW: President Trump announces $500 rebate checks to nearly 1 million Americans in 30 states who he says were wrongly overcharged through Obamacare.
“In many cases, these refunds will cover the entire spike in your insurance caused by Democrats who solely work to protect big… pic.twitter.com/H7kEI2xZh9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 10, 2026
