Something to Sneeze At: My Trump Election Check

Based on the federal envelope, I thought it was a notification that I owed a penalty for missing an estimated tax payment. There was no reason to suspect I was one of the 950,000 Obamacare enrollees across 30 states who qualified for a one-time $500 check. The rebate, I learned from the accompanying ungrammatical letter signed by Donald J. Trump, applied to Obamacare users who had not received subsidies to purchase their coverage.

“For years, the Biden Administration overcharged you to fund the operation of HealthCare.gov,” the letter read. “That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now, I am returning it to you!” 

According to ABC News, however, Trump’s claims have no basis in fact. And many have noted the suspicious timing of the payments. CNN reports that Trump announced the rebate “the day after he promised to send $5,000 “dividend” payments to all American adults if the Republicans retain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.” While elections are taking place in every state next month, it’s convenient that this rebate gets money to voters in the states like Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, where tight races have been breaking spending records.

The letter accompanying my $500 check was notable for two things: its snotty tone and the hollowness of its claim to lower costs for people in the 30 states who purchase insurance through healthcare.gov. As CNN reported:

The move comes at a time when many Obamacare enrollees are struggling to maintain their coverage — or have dropped their policies — after congressional Republicans allowed the enhanced ACA premium subsidies to expire at the end of last year. That sent premium payments skyrocketing for many enrollees, particularly middle-income folks, for 2026.

Premiums are set to jump again for 2027. Policyholders will learn how much more they’ll have to pay when open enrollment starts on November 1, just before the midterms.

Gerard Anderson, a professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins, told ABC News that, even among the recipients, he’s “skeptical the checks will be going to the Americans most in need,” since the money “does not target the people most likely to have been harmed by the policy changes made by the administration, including the end of the tax credits.”

People who live in the 20 states that operate their own health insurance exchanges, meanwhile, aren’t even eligible for the token payment. For them, the rebate continues the president’s tradition of promising checks that never arrive. Anyone remember Trump’s assurance that Americans would receive a $2,000 cut from the windfall he said would follow his tariff policy? What about that famous “DOGE dividend”? 

Check or no check, America’s entire healthcare system is broken, in all 50 states. Five-hundred bucks won’t make anyone forget that, and a dwindling number of voters appear willing to believe Trump’s promises of riches just around the corner.