Trump announces $90 Medicare checks for certain beneficiaries
The administration says 20.8 million people may qualify for a one-time Part B rebate, but Medicare Advantage members are excluded.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
2 min read
President Donald Trump says his administration will send a one-time $90 rebate to certain people with Medicare Part B, and the Trump $90 Medicare checks are not headed to every Medicare enrollee. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says 20.8 million Americans qualify.
Trump announced the plan in an Oct. 2 Truth Social post, saying the payments would help cover Part B premiums. CMS followed with a fact sheet outlining the program, according to NBC News.
Who qualifies for the $90 Medicare payment?
CMS says recipients must live in the United States and be enrolled in Medicare Part B. The agency says people who receive Medicaid premium assistance, pay income-related adjusted monthly premiums or have Medicare Advantage coverage are not eligible.
That last exclusion is a key one. Medicare Advantage is the private-plan alternative to traditional Medicare, and the Associated Press, reporting through NBC Washington, said more than half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in those plans.
The $90 is a single rebate, not an ongoing premium cut. The AP reported that total monthly Part B program costs start at about $200 and vary with income.
How and when will the Medicare rebate arrive?
The administration said some eligible beneficiaries would receive a direct deposit in early October, followed by an email or letter. Others are expected to receive a paper check from the Treasury Department later in October, NBC News reported.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the CMS fact sheet projected most direct deposits for on or around Oct. 8, 2026. The stated October delivery window falls before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Where is the money coming from?
The White House and CMS said the rebates would be paid from the Medicare Improvement Fund. Congress created the fund in 2008 for Medicare improvements, including program operations and provider-payment purposes, according to the AP report.
Congress has previously pulled money from the fund to offset other spending, NBC News reported. Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, told the AP that earlier administrations had not used the fund this way, while its language gives the administration substantial discretion.
The Medicare payment is separate from other financial pledges Trump has recently made. He has also said roughly 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees would receive $500 premium rebates. His proposal to send $5,000 to every U.S. adult if Republicans retain control of Congress would require congressional approval, the AP reported.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.