WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is promising $500 rebate checks to an estimated 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees across 30 states, who the White House alleged were overcharged by the Biden administration for exchange fees.
The promise comes after Trump pledged Wednesday to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections and as affordability has become a central issue for voters heading into November.
“The relief begins with refunding everyone who was overcharged and the rebates are going out in just a few weeks,” President Donald Trump said in a recorded address released on the White House X account Thursday. Enrollees who can expect refunds are those who do not receive premium assistance.
Critics called the move a “gimmick” that doesn’t represent a plan for addressing soaring healthcare costs.
Trump in his address accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of “gross mismanagement” of ACA funds, without providing evidence, and said that the Biden administration collected user fees from insurance companies that consumers paid through higher premiums.
In a fact sheet, the White House claimed that Biden's administration “accumulated a significant surplus of funds that were not used to benefit the Americans who paid these higher premiums.” It said the rebates would be sent out beginning next month.
Challenging Trump’s claim that the Biden administration mismanaged funds, Cynthia Cox, a vice president and director of the ACA program at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF, said it’s entirely possible that the funds Trump has promised came from fees collected during Trump’s first term. His first administration collected more user fees from insurers than it spent, resulting in an estimated $1 billion in unspent funds, according to KFF analysis.
It is unclear whether the $500 rebate represents what each enrollee may have overpaid, where the money for the rebates would come from and whether it requires congressional approval for disbursement.
Trump’s announcement comes as the price of ACA insurance has skyrocketed for many Americans during his own second term. The Trump administration opposed extending COVID-era subsidies that had helped offset the costs of health insurance for most enrollees during Biden’s term.
After the Republican-led Congress allowed the subsidies to expire this year, premiums doubled or tripled for many enrollees, prompting millions to downgrade their plans or exit the program entirely.
Cox said Trump's plan “does not appear to be helping the people who lost coverage because they could not afford to continue purchasing insurance."
Brad Woodhouse, a Democratic strategist and executive director of advocacy group Protect Our Care, called the rebate plan “an absolute joke” in a statement.
“Since Republicans took away tax credits from working families, millions of people have seen their monthly premiums rise by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars,” Woodhouse said. "At a time when people are scraping by to keep up with the high cost of groceries, rent, and health care, this $500 gimmick won’t even begin to dig them out of the hole that Trump and Republicans created.”
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a White House official declined to comment, referring instead back to the fact sheet.
Roughly 19 million people receive insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange.
President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
BERLIN (AP) — Buoyed by partisan home fans, host Germany upset Belgium 93-74 to reach the semifinals of the women’s FIBA World Cup on Thursday.
Leonie Fiebich scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Germany to a showdown with France on Saturday. Nyara Sabally also had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
“I can't quite believe it yet,” forward Frieda Bühner said. “We're among the best four teams in the world. I can't believe it. It's crazy.”
The players screamed and whooped in celebration. Germany had never reached the semifinals before.
“Everyone stepped up today and we did it from the first second to the very last,” said Alexandra Wilke, who scored 10 points.
Germany lost its opening game by 30 points to Spain, but bounced back with impressive wins over Japan and Mali before routing South Korea in a playoff to reach the quarterfinals.
Egged on by fervent commentary from the announcer, fans cheered, jumped and waved Germany flags at the Berlin Arena to help the home team keep its momentum going.
“It's always really cool to play in front of such a crowd,” Sabally said. “I couldn't have wished for more, especially in Germany. It's really cool to see that there's so much hype and the whole venue is caught up in it. It's really, really cool.”
It’s the sixth straight World Cup at which the host has made the final four since China failed to make the semifinals in 2002.
Belgium, the European champion, was one of three teams that advanced through group play without a loss.
Emma Meesseman led Belgium with 29 points and added eight rebounds, but her team was unable to regain the lead after Bühner made it 20-19 toward the end of the first quarter.
Germany did not qualify for the World Cup since the unified country's only previous appearance as host in 1998. East Germany's women's basketball team finished fourth at the 1967 tournament.
Marine Johannès and Janelle Salaün led France to the semifinals for the first time by beating China 90-61 earlier.
Both Johannès and Salaün scored 15 points while Gabby Williams contributed 14 as the Olympic finalists put themselves in contention for a first World Cup medal since the inaugural tournament in 1953, when France finished third in the final round.
“It means a lot,” Williams said of reaching the semifinals for the first time. “We want to be one of the greatest teams ever to put on the French jersey. Obviously we have a big goal this tournament, but it’s great to check this off the list.”
Chants of “Allez les Bleues” rang around the Berlin Arena before Williams opened the scoring, and the French supporters made sure they were heard for the rest of the game as their team dominated on the court below. France has been fluid and free-scoring, beating its four opponents so far by a combined 156 points.
The team set a tournament record for 3-pointers in a single game by netting 22 in its final group game on Monday. The French players connected on 14 of 37 attempts Thursday, with Johannès and Salaün scoring three triples each.
“We are lucky because we are a group that have known each other for a couple of years now,” Salaün said of France's team spirit. “We went through a lot of things, the Olympics, training camp(s), so we just know each other and we know what we want. We have a goal and we want to do everything to get to this goal.”
Salaün had an ice pack bound to her right knee. France coach Jean Aime Toupane told The Associated Press it was just a precaution.
The French defense limited the impact of China’s 7-foot-3 Zhang Ziyu, who had the attention of two French players any time she received the ball. The 19-year-old sensation was held scoreless over her 7 minutes, 18 seconds of play in the first half, though she contributed in defense with three blocks before halftime.
There was nothing Zhang could do to stop Johannès from scoring successive 3-pointers in the third quarter, when she also got on the scoreboard. Zhang finished the game with seven points, eight rebounds and seven turnovers.
Han Xu, who had a double-double in each of her four games at the tournament, again led China with 21 points and nine rebounds.
The United States, the four-time defending champion, routed Hungary 108-56 in the first quarterfinal with Napheesa Collier scoring 19 points to stretch their winning run in the tournament to 34 games since a semifinal loss to Russia in the 2006 semifinals.
The U.S. awaits the winner of Spain-Australia in the last quarterfinal later.
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German players react during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between Germany and Belgium in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
German players react during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between Germany and Belgium in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Germany's Frieda Buhner shoots over Belgium's Bethy Mununga during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between Germany and Belgium in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Germany's Leonie Fiebich, left, and Alexandra Wilke react during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between Germany and Belgium in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
China's Yang Shuyu guards France's Romane Berniesp during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the China and France in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
China's Han Xu and France's Gabby Williams wait for freethrows during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the China and France in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
France's Marième Badiane shoots over China's Li Yuan during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the China and France in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
French players wave to fans after the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the China and France in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
France's Pauline Astier, left, and France's Marine Johannes react after the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the China and France in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
