'Wrongly ripped off': Trump turns $500M Obamacare fund into checks for Americans

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said nearly 1 million Americans will receive $500 Obamacare rebates, arguing excessive fees collected under Biden should be returned.

The White House said the payments will come from $500 million in accounts collected through Obamacare user fees.

Trump announced the refunds on Thursday, September 10, in a video posted on White House's social media promoting his “Great Healthcare Plan.”

President Trump says consumers were overcharged

Trump said the money would go to marketplace customers in 30 states who bought coverage without federal premium subsidies. 

The White House said that those consumers were overcharged through excessive user fees, which it said were passed to consumers through higher premiums.

“Our administration is doing the right thing and giving the money back to the people who were wrongly ripped off. Nearly 1 million hardworking Americans in 30 states will soon be getting refunds of $500 each, with a check sent to their home address,” Trump said.

He said the checks would be dispatched “in just a few weeks.” 

The payments would be drawn from $500 million collected during Biden’s presidency that has been sitting in federal accounts.

The White House said the Biden administration collected excessive Obamacare user fees. 

Those fees, it said, were passed to consumers through higher premiums.

The payments are limited to people who purchased marketplace coverage without federal premium subsidies in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as per the New York Post.

The funds had remained in limbo over arguments about how they should be spent, the outlet said.

The Biden administration proposed using the money for no-cost contraception for people whose Obamacare plans did not cover it, but Republicans in Congress objected, and the proposal was withdrawn, the report said.

Trump ties refunds to his healthcare plan

Trump framed the rebates as part of his healthcare agenda, which he urged Congress to pass on Wednesday night. 

His plan included a crackdown on insurance companies, making lower prescription medicine prices permanent and ending surprise medical billing.

“Our administration has discovered that under Sleepy Joe Biden, American households buying health insurance through the Obamacare exchange, which is a disaster, and the healthcare.gov were massively overcharged,” Trump said.

“We will pass the Great Healthcare Plan to stop all government payments to big insurance companies, and give the money directly to the people, for you to buy your own healthcare and have money left over,” Trump said.

Healthcare costs remain a major concern

Healthcare affordability remains a major concern for Americans, according to an April poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation cited in the report.

Nearly two-thirds, or 64%, of adults said they worried about being able to afford medical care. That was on par with concerns about gas and transportation costs and higher than other economic issues.

Trump has also promoted other financial incentives as he seeks to keep his party in power, including proposed $5,000 tariff dividend checks if Republicans maintain their congressional majority.

He said the Obamacare rebates would be sent within weeks, potentially putting the payments in Americans' hands before the Nov 3 midterm election that will decide control of Congress.