Treasury mails $500 checks to ACA enrollees

The Treasury Department has begun mailing one-time $500 payments to more than 950,000 people enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans through HealthCare.gov, using accumulated fees paid by insurers. The checks are going to eligible policyholders in 30 states who receive no federal premium subsidy; residents of 20 states that run their own exchanges are excluded. The White House describes the payments as refunds for excessive fees it says were charged during the Biden administration. In a letter accompanying the checks, President Donald Trump wrote that recipients had been overcharged to fund HealthCare.gov and that the money was being returned. The administration has identified eligible recipients, so they do not need to apply, according to one report. The characterization of the money as an improper overcharge is disputed. The payments are funded with unspent user fees paid by participating insurers, according to reporting on the program. A KFF analysis cited in that reporting found that about $1.