Nearly 1 Million Americans Start Receiving $500 ACA Refund Checks This Week

Nearly 1 million Americans began receiving $500 checks by mail Thursday under the Trump administration's new Affordable Care Act refund program. The payments go to consumers who bought insurance directly through HealthCare.gov, the federal marketplace, and paid the full cost of their premiums without receiving federal premium tax credits or other financial assistance.

No application is required; eligible recipients are sent checks automatically. The program is limited to the 30 states that use HealthCare.gov rather than running their own ACA exchange, so residents of state-run marketplaces don't qualify regardless of whether they received subsidies. In a letter accompanying the checks, Trump described the refunds as going to people who use HealthCare.gov "but who do not receive Taxpayer Subsidies to help pay for their Coverage."