The Western Journal reported that the Trump administration began mailing $500 rebate checks to more than 950,000 people who bought Affordable Care Act plans on HealthCare.gov in 30 states, citing The Hill and a White House fact sheet.
According to The Hill, a letter accompanying the checks quotes President Donald Trump saying, “For years, the Biden administration overcharged you to fund the operation of HealthCare.gov. That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now I’m returning it to you!”
Who is supposed to get paid
The Western Journal says the rebates apply to HealthCare.gov enrollees in federal-exchange states who did not receive premium subsidies. It also reports that people who used state-run exchanges—such as in California—are not eligible for these federal rebates. The outlet notes that roughly 19.2 million people are enrolled in ACA plans overall, so the rebate would cover only a portion of enrollees.
What the White House claims
Per the White House fact sheet described by The Western Journal, the administration argues that “user fees” tied to ACA exchange plans were passed on to consumers as higher premiums during the Biden administration, funding HealthCare.gov “far in excess of what was needed.” The fact sheet says the result was a surplus and that the administration is refunding “excess fees” to people without premium assistance in the 30 federal-exchange states.
The Western Journal also cites a Sept. 10, 2026 post on X from the official White House account announcing “$500 rebate checks to nearly 1 million hardworking Americans who were wrongly overcharged through Obamacare.”
Which states are listed
According to the White House fact sheet summarized by The Western Journal, the affected states are: 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.
Subsidies and timing, as reported
The Western Journal states that people who received ACA subsidies are not eligible for the $500 rebates. It also reports that a 2025 “Big Beautiful Bill” ended COVID-era enhanced subsidies in December for those earning over 400% of the federal poverty level and that standard subsidy rules returned in 2026.
