Trump Is Sending Seniors $90 From a Fund Washington Used to Raid. Here's How to Get Yours
More than 20 million seniors will get a one-time Medicare rebate this month, paid from a fund Congress tapped for other spending for years. In our view, it's a smart move that puts health-care dollars back where they belong. Here's who qualifies, when it arrives and what comes next.
By Clara Hughes
Label: Altas World News Opinion Estimated read time: 7 minutes Key takeaways About 20.8 million people in Original Medicare Part B qualify for a one-time $90 rebate. Most will get a direct deposit on or around Oct. 8. Others will get a Treasury check later in October [2]. The money comes from the Medicare Improvement Fund. The White House says no administration has used it this way before, while Congress drew on it around 20 times for other spending, including $20.7 billion toward Obamacare in 2010 [1][2]. In our view, the President found real money that was sitting idle and sent it to seniors instead of Washington. That's a shrewd move, and every eligible senior should make sure they get it. A fund Washington forgot, put to work for seniors Late on Friday, Oct. 2, President Trump announced on social media that the government would send one-time $90 payments to more than 20 million seniors to help with Medicare premiums [3]. "I am pleased to announce that my Administration will, immediately, begin sending 'Checks' of nearly $100 to over 20 MILLION wonderful Seniors to help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums," he wrote on Truth Social [4]. The money comes from the Medicare Improvement Fund. Congress created it in 2008 and has given it $2 billion for improvements to traditional fee-for-service Medicare. The White House says no administration had ever made payments from it before now [1]. Washington had found other uses for it. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Congress has withdrawn from the fund around 20 times to "offset" new spending. That includes $20.7 billion used toward Obamacare in 2010 [2]. CMS put the administration's view this way: "the best way to improve Medicare is to put healthcare dollars back where they belong – in the hands of our Medicare beneficiaries" [2]. We agree. In our view, this is the kind of creative, common-sense governing voters wanted. The President didn't need a new tax or a new program. He used…