She got Trump's $500 check for health insurance. To her, it's a 'political stunt'

Ellen Allen, who runs the nonprofit West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, calls the federal payments now reaching voters a political stunt. She received a $500 Treasury check and a letter from President Trump at her home near Charleston, W. Va. Her premiums jumped after enhanced federal subsidies lapsed, and she drew on retirement savings to pay $1,967 monthly from January through August 2026, until she turned 65 and joined traditional Medicare. Trump has now announced $90 checks for 20 million Medicare enrollees, which Allen dismisses as nothing.

The $500 payments went only to residents of the 30 states using Healthcare. gov who earn above roughly $64,000 as individuals. The $90 payments will go to certain Part B enrollees, not those in Medicare Advantage. With the midterms weeks away, Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics professor at Washington University, says the accompanying letter, which praises Trump's health policy and criticizes the Biden administration, looks like electioneering that may violate the Hatch Act. She adds that the funds may lack congressional authorization.

Spokeswoman Allison Schuster said Americans were overcharged on the exchange and Trump returned their money.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NPR’s reporting. Read the full story at NPR →