Trump handing 1 million Americans Obamacare refund checks in 30 states

Fox News and The Independent both report that the Treasury Department is mailing $500 refund checks to more than 950,000 people in 30 states, each accompanied by a letter from President Donald Trump. The administration describes the payments as money returned after overcharges on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange during the Biden years. The Independent adds that mailing begins Wednesday and that Trump unveiled the plan September 10 in a White House video, according to Fox News · The Independent.

Fox News, citing an administration official, says the Biden administration sat on a surplus built from the exchange's user fee; that cash now funds the checks, and the fee has been cut significantly. Trump's letter limits eligibility to people who buy coverage there without taxpayer subsidies and says: "That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government." Fox News estimates Texas will see 139,000 checks, Florida 127,900, Ohio 65,700, North Carolina 58,200 and Michigan 55,100. Residents of the other 20 states get nothing, The Independent says, because those states run their own exchanges and no federal user fees were collected.

The Independent notes the checks land weeks before the November midterms, as affordability looms as a key issue.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News · The Independent and The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News · The Independent → Also at The Independent →