Nearly 1 Million HealthCare.gov Enrollees in 30 States Are Getting $500 Treasury Checks That Require No Application

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Different Workouts Suited Different MarkersA pooled analysis of 53 trials found that different exercise types helped different metabolic markers. Most of the evidence was low certainty. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pocket The federal government has started sending one-time $500 payments to people who bought 2026 health coverage through HealthCare.gov without a premium subsidy. The White House fact sheet on the refunds says the payments will reach nearly 1 million Americans in 30 states, and an administration official has put the number at more than 950,000.

The Treasury Department mailed the first batch of checks Sept. 30, according to Fortune’s guide to who qualifies. Recipients do not need to apply, sign up, or provide any information, because the administration says it has already identified who is eligible.

That detail matters for every household watching the mail. A legitimate payment does not come with a request for a Social Security number, bank login, or fee. With the checks arriving weeks before open enrollment begins Nov. 1, consumer agencies have warned that health insurance scams tend to increase during this period.

The payments go mainly to people who had 2026 marketplace coverage through HealthCare.gov and received no premium tax credit, meaning they paid the full monthly price for their plan. Each eligible person receives $500, so households with more than one qualifying member can receive more than one payment, Fortune reported.

Only the 30 states that use the federal HealthCare.gov platform are included, among them Texas, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Oregon. People in states that run their own marketplaces, such as California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, Georgia and Massachusetts, as well as Washington, D.C., are not eligible.

Texas has the most recipients, about 139,000, followed by Florida with about 127,900, according to a White House tally reported by news outlets. Wisconsin, Arizona and Oregon also have large numbers of recipients, ABC News reported on the mailings.

Many people who pay full price for marketplace coverage earn more than 400% of the federal poverty level, or about $62,600 for a single adult for 2026 coverage. They lost access to financial help after enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025. Some lower-income enrollees who did not receive subsidies also qualify, according to Fortune.

The administration says the payments are funded by surplus HealthCare.gov user fees. Insurers pay these fees to the federal government to operate the platform, and the cost is built into the premiums consumers pay. The White House has described the overcharges as worth hundreds of millions of dollars but has not published a total cost.

Most payments are arriving as paper checks accompanied by a letter signed by President Trump, and some recipients may receive direct deposits, according to Fortune. Officials have not explained who will be paid which way. The payments are separate from the medical loss ratio rebates some insurers send each year, and a person could receive both.

As of Oct. 11, the IRS had not issued guidance on how these payments will be taxed. People who are self-employed and deducted their health premiums may want to ask a tax professional how to report the money.

Health policy researchers have questioned how much the payments will help. “A surplus does not mean consumers were overcharged,” Cynthia Cox, director of the Affordable Care Act program at KFF, said, according to Reuters. Gerard Anderson of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told ABC News the payment “does not target the people most likely to have been harmed” by the administration’s policy changes.

The payments arrive as coverage costs keep climbing. Effectuated marketplace enrollment fell from 22.1 million in February 2025 to 19.2 million in February 2026, according to CMS data analyzed by CBPP. Insurers have proposed a median premium increase of 15% for 2027, according to a KFF analysis of proposed premiums.

As of Oct. 11, officials had not issued a scam warning specific to these checks. But the Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on government impersonation scams applies directly. The FTC says government agencies will never call, email, text or message people on social media “to ask for money or personal information.”

Anyone who gets a call, text, or email offering to release or speed up a $500 Obamacare refund should treat it as a likely scam. The real payment requires no application, no processing fee, and no verification of bank details over the phone.

The FTC also warned in a consumer alert on open enrollment scams, posted Sept. 28, that health insurance scams pick up during Medicare and marketplace open enrollment and that scammers often use web addresses that look like government sites. Consumers should go to HealthCare.gov on their own rather than clicking links in unexpected messages.

Suspected scams can be reported to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Anyone who shared bank or Social Security information with a caller should contact their bank right away and consider placing a fraud alert with the credit bureaus.

The $500 payment does not change what enrollees will pay next year. Open enrollment for 2027 marketplace plans runs from Nov. 1, 2026, to Jan. 15, 2027, and people must choose a plan by Dec. 15 for coverage that starts Jan. 1, according to HealthCare.gov’s enrollment dates page.

People who paid full price this year should compare plans carefully when final 2027 rates are posted. Some may qualify for financial help if their income has changed, and certified navigators offer free enrollment help in every HealthCare.gov state.

Officials have not said how long it will take for all checks to be delivered, and there is no official claim process for people who believe they qualify but have not received a payment. MedicalDaily will update this report if Treasury, CMS, or the IRS releases new guidance.

Who is getting the $500 Obamacare refund checks?

People who bought 2026 coverage through HealthCare.gov in one of 30 federal-marketplace states and received no premium tax credit.

No. The administration says it has already identified eligible enrollees, and there is no application or deadline.

It is $500 per eligible person, so a household with several qualifying members may receive more than one payment.

Are people in California or New York eligible?

No. People in states that run their own marketplaces, including California, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, are not included.

The administration says it comes from surplus HealthCare.gov user fees that insurers pay and pass on through premiums.

How can I tell if a message about the refund is a scam?

Government agencies do not call, text, or email to ask for money or personal information. Any request for fees, bank logins, or gift cards is a red flag.

The IRS has not issued guidance. Self-employed people who deducted their premiums should ask a tax professional how to report it.