Why you received a $90 check from Social Security and Medicare

• The payments come less than a month before the midterm elections, as President Trump faces one of the worst economic polls of any president in the last decade.

Driving the news: About 20 million Medicare beneficiaries are expected to receive $90 from the SSA this month.

• The additional money is due to a rebate announced Oct. 2 by the White House, with “premium rebates” intended to help “Medicare enrollees pay their Medicare Part B premiums.”
• Most enrollees should expect a $90 direct deposit this week. Some recipients will receive paper checks later this month.

Context: The rebate comes courtesy of the Medicare Improvement Fund, created by Congress in 2008 to improve Medicare Parts A and B.

• $90 is about half the cost of a standard monthly Medicare Part B premium, which costs about $202 per month in 2026.
• This follows Trump’s promise to provide $100 checks to seniors enrolled in Medicare earlier in October.

Who is eligible for $90 rebate checks

How it works: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says 20.8 million Americans are eligible for the discounts.

• Recipients must live in the United States and not receive any premium aid from Medicaid.
• Enrollees cannot be high-income earners who pay more on top of the standard premium.
• Medicare Advantage enrollees are not eligible.

Worthy of your time: To find out if you are eligible, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

$500 ACA Rebate Checks

Zoom out: The Trump administration is taking numerous steps aimed at putting money back into American wallets as financial woes upend much of the country.

• One solution is to send $500 rebate checks to those the administration says were overcharged for Obamacare coverage.
• The White House says it sent the one-time payments to about a million Affordable Care Act enrollees.
• Checks began being issued on September 30.

Trump’s $5,000 Checks

Yes, but: Trump also promised Americans $5,000 checks if Republicans retained both houses of Congress in the midterm elections, which could help many Americans pay their bills and cope with rising costs.