Skip to content 
Payments are expected to begin in October 2026 for eligible unsubsidized enrollees in 30 states using the federal health insurance marketplace
President Donald Trump’s administration has announced plans to send $500 payments to nearly one million people enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans through the federal marketplace.Executive Branch
The initiative is officially called the “Working Families Obamacare Refunds.” Payments are scheduled to begin in October 2026 and will be issued on a per-person basis to eligible enrollees in 30 states. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
The White House describes the payments as refunds for excess marketplace user fees that were incorporated into insurance premiums.
The administration claims those fees produced a surplus beyond what was required to operate the federal marketplace during the Biden administration.Checks
Independent health policy experts have questioned whether the surplus necessarily proves that consumers were overcharged, noting that reduced federal spending on enrollment-support programs may also have contributed to the remaining funds.
Who Is Expected to Receive a $500 Payment
The refunds are intended for people who purchased coverage through HealthCare.gov but did not receive premium assistance.
Eligible recipients are expected to include primarily those earning more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, along with some people earning between 100 and 400 percent who did not receive subsidies.
People receiving premium subsidies are generally excluded because their required payments are capped according to income. When an insurance premium rises, the federal government absorbs much of that increase for subsidized enrollees.Geographic Reference
Unsubsidized customers pay the full listed premium and therefore directly absorb costs associated with marketplace user fees.
The administration says it has already identified the eligible recipients.
The available announcement does not provide a detailed public eligibility calculator or a complete explanation of how individual payment determinations will be communicated.
The payments should not be treated as available to every person enrolled in an ACA plan.
They are limited to a specific group of unsubsidized consumers using the federal exchange in participating states.
The 30 States Covered by the Program
The announced refunds apply in states that use the federal marketplace for their Affordable Care Act plans.Public Policy
The 30 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.
People enrolled through separate state-operated exchanges are not included in this federal-marketplace refund initiative.
That excludes residents purchasing coverage through state systems in places such as California, New York and Massachusetts.