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Trump Announces $90 Medicare Rebates for Seniors Ahead of Midterms
Confirmed
In Short: California is set to receive the most, with more than 1.52 million rebate checks heading to seniors in the state, followed by Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the federal government will provide $90 payments to more than 20 million senior citizens enrolled in Medicare Part B to help lower their costs.
The payments, which are intended to assist with Medicare premiums, will be distributed in early October primarily through direct deposit or by check, according to the White House.
To be eligible, seniors must be living in the U.S. and not be receiving premium assistance from Medicaid or paying adjusted monthly premiums based on income.
The $90 payments will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, established by Congress in 2008 to improve program operations and payments to health care providers.
More than half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries have Medicare Advantage, according to healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
Previous administrations have not used the Medicare Improvement Fund in this way, although Congress has periodically taken out money from the fund to pay for other priorities.
The White House said the $2 billion improvement fund has never before been utilized to “directly lower costs” for seniors, and called the $90 payments a “historic action to help senior citizens.”
The payments are headed to seniors in all 50 states, with the most populated states receiving the most, USA Today reported.
California is set to receive the most, with more than 1.52 million rebate checks heading to seniors in the state, followed by Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Trump clarified that these payments are separate from the $500 rebate checks promised to people the White House claims were overcharged for health coverage under the Biden administration and the $5,000 payments promised to all Americans if Republicans win the midterm elections.
The White House said in a statement that President Trump believes Medicare Improvement Funds should be used to directly help people on Medicare, not special interests, and is returning healthcare dollars back into the hands of the American people.
The payments are the latest in a series of financial promises made by the Trump administration ahead of the November midterm elections.
What this adds
The payments are intended to lower costs for those paying for Medicare Part B premiums.
The White House said the $90 payments will be distributed in early October to eligible seniors primarily through direct deposit.
What's confirmed
- President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the federal government will provide $90 payments to more than 20 million senior citizens enrolled in Medicare Part B to help lower their costs.
- The payments, which are intended to assist with Medicare premiums, will be distributed in early October primarily through direct deposit or by check, according to the White House.
- To be eligible, seniors must be living in the U.S. and not be receiving premium assistance from Medicaid or paying adjusted monthly premiums based on income.
- The $90 payments will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, established by Congress in 2008 to improve program operations and payments to health care providers.
- More than half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries have Medicare Advantage, according to healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
- Previous administrations have not used the Medicare Improvement Fund in this way, although Congress has periodically taken out money from the fund to pay for other priorities.
- The payments are headed to seniors in all 50 states, with the most populated states receiving the most, USA Today reported.
- California is set to receive the most, with more than 1.52 million rebate checks heading to seniors in the state, followed by Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.
- Trump clarified that these payments are separate from the $500 rebate checks promised to people the White House claims were overcharged for health coverage under the Biden administration and the $5,000 payments promised to all Americans if Republicans win the midterm elections.
- The White House said in a statement that President Trump believes Medicare Improvement Funds should be used to directly help people on Medicare, not special interests, and is returning healthcare dollars back into the hands of the American people.
- The payments are the latest in a series of financial promises made by the Trump administration ahead of the November midterm elections.
What's still developing
- “The Medicare Improvement Fund language is quite broad and gives substantial discretion to the administration,” Levitt said.
- “I pledged to protect and preserve Medicare and Social Security, which were on the verge of RUIN by Joe Biden, who foolishly and maliciously let tens of millions of Illegal Aliens into our Country, and we are doing just that for America’s Seniors,” the president continued.
- The rest will be sent out as physical checks to the address the recipient listed when they registered for Medicare.