WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday began sending $500 refund checks to nearly 1 million Americans it says were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act’s federal exchange, according to USA TODAY reporting that cited an administration official and a White House letter signed by Trump.
Treasury Department checks, accompanied by letters notifying recipients, are going to more than 950,000 people across 30 states that rely at least in part on federal exchanges administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Arizona is among those states, alongside Alabama, Florida, Texas, Ohio, and others that do not fully run their own ACA marketplaces.
In the letter viewed by USA TODAY, Trump argued the Biden administration overcharged consumers via user fees that insurers passed into premiums and that surplus money “belongs to hard-working Americans.” The White House announced the $500 “Obamacare refund” concept on Sept. 10 in a video timed with the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.
The refunds are separate from a contested $5,000 dividend Trump has pledged to Americans if Republicans keep congressional control after the November midterms. Most recipients earn around 400% of the federal poverty line — about $64,000 for a single person or $132,000 for a family of four — though some between 100% and 400% of poverty are included, the White House said.
Americans in the other 20 states will not receive checks because their states operate their own exchanges and the federal government did not collect the same user fees. The mailing lands roughly five weeks before Election Day as affordability and health costs remain central political pressures for Trump and congressional Republicans.
Democrats and consumer advocates have noted that enhanced ACA subsidies expired at the end of 2025 after Trump and Republican majorities declined to extend them, raising premiums for millions. The administration frames the $500 checks as returning surplus exchange fees, not as a substitute for those subsidies.
Arizonans who bought coverage through HealthCare.gov and meet the administration’s criteria should watch mail for Treasury checks and the accompanying letter. USA TODAY did not publish individual eligibility look-up tools; the White House has directed questions to federal health agencies and the Treasury disbursement process.
Health policy analysts note the optics: a mid-cycle cash mailing cannot reverse premium spikes tied to expired enhanced subsidies, but it can shape voter conversations in states like Arizona where federal-exchange enrollment is common. Consumer groups typically advise recipients to confirm any check is a genuine Treasury instrument and to beware phishing emails that spoof HealthCare.gov or IRS branding around the same news.
USA TODAY reported the administration’s claim that Biden-era user fees exceeded operational needs for the federal marketplace. Independent verification of the surplus accounting was not included in Wednesday’s public briefings; Congress and oversight offices may yet request documentation of how the fee surplus was calculated and why refunds were set at a flat $500 rather than proportional to premiums paid.
Based on USA TODAY reporting by Joey Garrison (Sept. 30, 2026), including the state list and letter excerpts attributed to the White House. Check amounts and recipient counts as stated by administration officials to USA TODAY.