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More than 1.5 million California seniors are slated to receive $90 government-funded checks in the coming days through an initiative launched by President Donald Trump.
The White House announced
Oct. 2 that the one-time payments are being sent to more than 20 million Medicare Part B enrollees nationwide.
The checks, paid for with funds Congress earmarked in 2008, are intended to help eligible Medicare enrollees pay Part B premiums.
Trump announced the rebate as affordability and high costs remain top of mind for many midterm voters. The president has turned to sending cash directly to Americans with just weeks to go until the election and partisan control of Congress at stake.
On Sept. 30, his administration started sending $500 checks to nearly 1 million Americans across 30 states who it said were overcharged by fees through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance.
Trump has also vowed to distribute $5,000 dividend payments to all American adults if Republicans retain control of Congress in the midterms, an offer critics have slammed as a bribe for votes.
Here's what Californians should know about the $90 rebate checks.
Who's getting $90 Medicare checks?
More than 1.52 million seniors in California are set to receive checks, the most of any state, followed by Texas (1.43 million); Florida (1.40 million); New York (1.02 million); and Pennsylvania (905,000), according to a White House breakdown of the payments reviewed by USA TODAY. Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota are each in line to receive fewer than 100,000 checks apiece for seniors.
Individuals whose health care premiums are already paid by Medicaid or who pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount do not qualify for the $90, the White House said.
How California seniors can check eligibility for rebate
Seniors who want to check on their eligibility for the rebate can call 1-800-633-4227.
When will California Medicare enrollees get $90 checks?
Most eligible seniors will receive their payment via direct deposit from the Social Security Administration on or around Oct. 8, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Those without direct deposit will receive a paper check at the address they have registered with Medicare later in October. The check will be from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and labeled: "Medicare Improvement Fund Payment; $90 Payment to Offset October Premium," per CMS.
To check on payment status, eligible beneficiaries can call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.
How are $90 checks being funded?
To fund the payments, the Trump administration is diverting money from the $2 billion Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress created in 2008 to improve Medicare services.
Trump called the fund a "pointless 'Slush Fund'" in a Truth Social post announcing the checks. The White House said the improvement fund has never been utilized.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: More than 1.5 million California seniors to receive Trump's $90 checks
