Who could get Trump’s $500 Obamacare rebate checks and when will they arrive?

US President Donald Trump has promised $500 rebate checks to around one million Affordable Care Act enrollees across 30 states, claiming they were overcharged under the Biden administration.

“The relief begins with refunding everyone who was overcharged and the rebates are going out in just a few weeks,” Trump said in a recorded White House address Thursday.

The White House said the refunds would apply to enrollees who do not receive premium assistance and would begin going out next month.

Trump accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of “gross mismanagement” of ACA funds, but did not provide evidence.

A White House fact sheet claimed the previous administration “accumulated a significant surplus of funds that were not used to benefit the Americans who paid these higher premiums.”

It remains unclear whether $500 represents the amount each enrollee overpaid, how the rebates will be funded or whether congressional approval is required.

Critics have called the announcement a “gimmick” rather than a plan to tackle rising healthcare costs.

The announcement comes after COVID-era subsidies that reduced insurance costs for many ACA enrollees expired this year.

Premiums have since doubled or tripled for some Americans, leading millions to downgrade their coverage or leave the programme.