Trump administration begins $500 ACA refund payments

The Trump administration began sending $500 refund checks on September 30 to more than 950,000 Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees in 30 states, saying the payments return excess fees collected to operate the federal insurance exchange. The Treasury Department is issuing the checks with letters signed by President Donald Trump, according to administration information. The payments are for people who bought coverage through HealthCare.gov in states that use the federal marketplace rather than operating their own exchanges. The White House says recipients did not receive premium assistance and that most earn around 400% of the federal poverty level. Some people with incomes between 100% and 400% of that level are also eligible, it said. The administration has not provided a full public breakdown of recipients by state or income. In the letter accompanying the checks, Trump says the Biden administration overcharged consumers to fund HealthCare.gov and that the money is being returned. The White House says the refunds come from a pool of roughly $500 million in excess user fees paid by insurers to help cover exchange operations.