The Treasury Department started sending one-time $500 refund payments this week to more than 950,000 Affordable Care Act enrollees across 30 states, a Trump administration official told CNBC. This move came about three weeks after President Donald Trump first announced the program on Sept. 10.
The money traces back to “user fees” that insurers selling plans on HealthCare.gov pay to keep the federal marketplace running. These costs are ultimately passed along to consumers through premiums. Trump says the Biden administration set those fees higher than necessary and built up a surplus, and the White House is framing the checks as a return of that excess.
