President Trump announced Friday that more than 20 million seniors will receive $90 checks this month to offset Medicare Part B premiums.
The one-time payments will reach eligible enrollees through direct deposit or physical check, drawn from the Medicare Improvement Fund established in 2008, according to the White House. Those whose premiums are already covered by Medicaid or who pay an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount are excluded from the program.
Trump framed the fund as a vehicle previously misused by political opponents. He called the Medicare Improvement Fund “a pointless ‘Slush Fund’ that has only been used by Dumocrats in Congress to pay for the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse for their Special Interest friends, and drive up Healthcare costs,” in a Truth Social post Friday.
“We are finally using this Fund, along with my Most Favored Nations Deals, to substantially LOWER costs for our Seniors,” the president continued on the platform.
The senior payment announcement came the same day his administration unveiled $500 refunds for roughly 950,000 Affordable Care Act enrollees. That separate program is premised on alleged overcharging of user fees during the Biden administration, which the Trump administration claims led to inflated consumer rates.
Trump emphasized the distinction between the two initiatives. “The $90 senior payment is separate from the equally substantial Refund ‘Checks’ we are sending to One Million Americans who were overcharged for their Unaffordable Care Act plans by Joe Biden,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The president tied the announcement to broader political stakes. “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,” he added on the platform.
Trump also used the announcement to promote a future proposal. “Because I delivered on this very important issue for the American People, they can also rest assured the highly popular $5,000 Trump Dividend will be distributed to every US citizen if, and when, the Republicans win the Midterm Elections!,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The $90 payment and the $500 ACA refund represent the administration’s latest direct-payment programs to beneficiaries ahead of the midterm election cycle.