Starting Thursday, about one million Americans will begin to get $500 payments from the Trump administration as part of a newly launched Affordable Care Act refund initiative.
These payments target a limited set of individuals who purchased personal health coverage through HealthCare.gov, the federal ACA marketplace.
To qualify, a consumer must have signed up for a HealthCare.gov plan and covered the entire premium cost themselves, without getting federal premium tax credits or any other financial help.
In a letter sent with the checks, Trump described the refunds as intended for people who use HealthCare.gov “but who do not receive Taxpayer Subsidies to help pay for their Coverage.”
Geography also matters. The checks will go to qualifying consumers in the 30 states that rely on HealthCare.gov, not to residents using state-operated ACA marketplaces.
As a result, individuals who obtained insurance through state-run exchanges will not be part of the refund program.
The states shaded blue below are the ones that qualify for the refunds:
Trump has presented the payments as reimbursements for what he claims were excessive fees tied to the federal marketplace’s operating expenses.
People who qualify do not have to apply, file a claim, or enroll in the program. Administration officials say recipients have already been identified and the $500 checks will be mailed automatically to their home addresses.
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Each qualifying enrollee will get a separate payment. Because of that, a household in which several members individually meet the criteria may receive more than one check.