She got Trump's $500 check for health insurance.
asserted
She → get → insurance
Ellen Allen has mixed feelings about the check from the U.S. Treasury and letter from President Trump that arrived at her house near Charleston, W.Va., on Monday.
asserted
that → have → Monday
"I just can't believe it; I mean, that's crazy," says Allen, who's the executive director of a small nonprofit called West Virginians for Affordable Health Care.
asserted
who → believe → Care
She says, in her opinion, sending out these checks is a "political stunt."
asserted
sending → say → checks
NPR first spoke to Ellen Allen in the summer of 2025.
asserted
NPR → speak → 2025
She was 63 years old at the time, and knew she needed coverage from Healthcare.gov even as generous federal subsidies for her premiums were ending.
asserted
subsidies → know → premiums
She has a serious eye condition and needs expensive drops to preserve her vision.
asserted
She → have → vision
She advocated for the Republican-controlled Congress to extend the subsidies.
asserted
Congress → advocate → subsidies
It didn't.
asserted
It → do → ?
She ended up using retirement savings to pay $1,967 every month for her premiums from January through August, 2026.
asserted
She → end → August
Then her birthday came; she turned 65 and was eligible for Medicare. "I was ready at midnight — the first day I could apply, I did," she laughs.
uncertain
she → come → midnight
Allen chose traditional Medicare, which means she could soon be getting another check from the U.S. Treasury.
uncertain
she → choose → Treasury
Last week, President Trump announced that $90 checks will be sent to 20 million people enrolled in Medicare.
asserted
checks → announce → Medicare
"The $90 is — I mean, that's just nothing," Allen says.
asserted
Allen → mean → ?
In her work, she talks to people about healthcare costs all over West Virginia.
asserted
she → talk → Virginia
"People aren't going to be fooled by this," she predicts.
asserted
she → go → this
"People are hurting.
asserted
People → hurt → ?
People are feeling the cost of healthcare all year long.
asserted
People → feel → healthcare
"
"If they wanted to do something meaningful, they would work on affordable health care instead of just sending out checks every now and then," Allen says.
asserted
Allen → want → checks
Both checks are directed to select groups.
asserted
checks → direct → groups
The $500 checks mailed by the Trump administration last week were only sent to people who live in one of the 30 states that use Healthcare.gov for their insurance marketplace.
asserted
that → mail → marketplace
They also make more than $64,000 annually for an individual, which is too much money to qualify for subsidies.
asserted
which → make → subsidies
These are people, like Allen, who were likely to be hard hit when Congress failed to extend the extra financial help put in place under President Biden.
asserted
Congress → hit → Biden
The $90 checks that will be sent to Medicare beneficiaries are only going to certain people enrolled in Medicare Part B.
asserted
that → send → people
People in Medicare Advantage plans, which are managed by insurance companies, will not get checks.
asserted
which → manage → checks
Can Trump do that?
asserted
Trump → do → that
The checks are hitting people's mailboxes just a few weeks before the midterm elections.
asserted
checks → hit → elections
The text of a letter sent along with the money touts the Trump administration's efforts on health policy and criticizes the Biden administration.
asserted
text → send → administration
"This reads like electioneering," says Kathleen Clark, professor of legal and governmental ethics at Washington University law school in St. Louis, Missouri.
asserted
Clark → read → Louis
"This reads as though it's intended to influence votes.
asserted
it → read → votes
That is prohibited by law."
asserted
That → prohibit → law
Specifically, it would violate the Hatch Act, "the statute that prohibits using federal power and money to influence partisan political elections," she explains.
asserted
she → violate → elections
The money for Healthcare.gov enrollees is from fees insurance companies paid to participate in the marketplace, and the money for Medicare beneficiaries is from a general improvement fund.
asserted
money → pay → fund
Neither of these funds have been used for direct payments to enrollees before.
asserted
Neither → use → enrollees
"It looks like a pretty desperate effort to, in essence, bribe the recipients of this letter to vote in gratitude to Trump in the upcoming midterm elections," she adds.
asserted
she → look → elections
The checks and letters are arriving in people's mailboxes, whether they're legal or not.
asserted
they → arrive → mailboxes
Clark notes the Supreme Court has enabled Trump's illegal actions many times in the past.
asserted
Court → note → past
"So, of course, he feels empowered to go ahead and do this," she says.
asserted
she → feel → this
The White House did not respond directly to NPR's questions about electioneering, whether the action is a violation of the Hatch Act or if it is a "political stunt," as Allen put it.
asserted
Allen → respond → it
"This is an out-of-touch criticism," Trump Administration spokeswoman Allison Schuster wrote in an email.
asserted
Schuster → write → email
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
