President Donald Trump is promising more payments to voters just ahead of the November 3 midterm elections – this time, to more than 20 million seniors, giving them $90 each to help pay for Medicare premiums.
The announcement, made late Friday night by Trump on social media, comes after the president last month said about 1 million people would get rebate checks of $500 for Affordable Care Act premiums. He has also promised on the campaign trail to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections. That pledge – which would require approval from Congress – would likely cost more than $1 trillion, adding to the deficit and worsening inflation. The White House said the $90 payments for seniors will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, established by Congress in 2008 as flexible funding to improve program operations and payments to health care providers. Total monthly costs for the program – which covers costs like doctor’s visits, ambulance services and lab tests – start around $200 and vary with income.
Medicare Part B enrollees can expect to receive a one-time payment in October, either through direct deposit or by check, the White House said.
For example, $20.74 billion was used for the creation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
Previous administrations have not used the Medicare Improvement Fund in this way, although Congress has periodically taken out money from the fund to pay for other priorities, said Larry Levitt, KFF’s executive vice president for health policy. “The Medicare Improvement Fund language is quite broad and gives substantial discretion to the administration,” Levitt said.
