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Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Healthcare Healthcare The Big Story Trump promises Obamacare rebates to people in swing states, right before midterms President Trump said he’s planning to send $500 checks to about 1 million people who he claims were “massively” overcharged for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage. Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press But the checks will only go to people who live in one of 30 states that use the federal government’s ACA exchange and who don’t receive federal subsidies, leaving out about 18 million people. In a recorded video posted to the White House's account on the social platform X, Trump alleged without evidence that the Biden administration was “massively” overcharging enrollees on the federal health insurance exchange and then hiding it. “Our administration is doing the right thing and giving the money back to the people who were wrongly ripped off,” he said, adding that the $500 checks would be mailed starting October to people in 30 states that used Healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace where people sign up for Obamacare health insurance. The money for the rebates would come from what the White House says is a $500 million fund of excess user fees, which are paid by insurance companies to the government to help run healthcare.gov. It’s unclear what legal authority the administration has to direct rebates to a certain group of states, but not others. The eligible states include many swing states, as well as red states. The Affordable Care Act already has a mechanism for health insurance companies to send rebates to consumers who are overcharged, and it’s not known how Trump’s plan will interact with the existing function. Trump claimed the extra $500 could cover the entirety of people’s increased insurance premiums, which he blamed on Democrats. But his announcement highlighted the decision by congressional Republicans to let enhanced ACA subsidies expire, raising costs for millions of people with incomes above the poverty line. Average premiums jumped from $113 to $178 per month in 2026 for subsidized and non-subsidized plans, equaling nearly $800 more over the entire year. This promise follows his Wednesday pledge to give $5,000 to every U.S. adult if Republicans win the midterms. These are the most recent in a pattern of Trump floating offers to distribute rebates to Americans, including a $2,000 tariff dividend check and a $5,000 Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dividend, neither of which have materialized. Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the healthcare sector this week and beyond: Human rabies exposure cases on the rise, CDC warns (NEXSTAR) — After a summer marred by foodborne illnesses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new, potentially alarming alert. In a Thursday advisory, the agency warned health care providers of an increase in reported cases of human exposure to rabid or possibly rabid animals, and errors with the administration of responsive care. Across July and August, the CDC reported a 17% increase in rabies-related … Full Story Multistate salmonella outbreak linked to broccoli sprouts: FDA The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported Wednesday it will investigate a multistate outbreak of salmonella linked to recalled broccoli sprouts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state partners found 22 cases in four states. Two people were hospitalized for salmonella-related symptoms, and there have been no reported deaths. Washington has the highest number of cases, followed by Montana, Idaho … Full Story Roughly half of hospitals complying with price transparency rules: Report Even though compliance rates have reached a record high, only about half of U.S. hospitals are in full compliance with federal price transparency rules, according to a report released Thursday. The nonprofit group Patient Rights Advocate (PRA) released its eighth hospital price transparency report in which it found 49.4 percent of hospitals it reviewed were in compliance with the federal hospital price transparency rules that … Full Story In Other News Branch out with a different read: DDHQ shifts Senate odds to Democrats, then back to GOP: ‘A coin flip’ The election handicapper Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) on Wednesday briefly shifted its odds of the Democrats winning the Senate to 51 percent, underscoring the party’s growing momentum in the midterm elections. Full Story Around the Nation Local and state headlines on healthcare: Democrat’s ad about tragic pregnancy injects abortion into tight governor’s race (Washington Post) Judge weighs whether to hold Children’s Hospital Colorado in contempt for not providing gender-affirming care (The Denver Post) North Dakota sees first West Nile death in 2026 (North Dakota Monitor) What We're Reading Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets: Rural Americans wait after judge delivers mixed ruling on digital equity dollars (KFF Health News) Five midterm races to watch that could be crucial for vaccine policy (Stat) Novo Nordisk says Wegovy approved in China for liver disease MASH (Reuters) What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Congress must get healthcare price transparency right Family planning in the US should also support egg freezing You’re all caught up. Check out The Hill's Healthcare page for the latest coverage.Like this newsletter? 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