Trump's $90 Medicare rebate rolls out, but millions are left out. Critics say it's a political stunt

ABC News · PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour report that President Donald Trump is sending a single $90 payment to about 20. 8 million people in original Medicare Part B, at a cost of roughly $2 billion. The move arrives weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms, when living costs and health spending weigh heavily on voters. Fewer than a third of Medicare recipients qualify. Excluded are around 35 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, plus people receiving Medicaid premium help or paying income-related charges, according to KFF.

Per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website, most recipients should see a direct deposit around Friday, while the Treasury Department will mail paper checks later in October. KFF's Juliette Cubanski said no action is required. Funding comes from a 2008 congressional account, the Medicare Improvement Fund. Barack Obama's administration and Congress once tapped it for Affordable Care Act coverage, but this is its first use for payments to individuals.

Critics call the rebate an election stunt. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, branded it a desperate effort by a failed president. Cubanski said it may help but might not stretch far.

Summarized by PolitiKool from ABC News · PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at ABC News · PBS NewsHour → Also at PBS NewsHour →