Trump announces payment of US$90 to help with the cost of health insurance before the elections

The money will be used to pay part of the insurance costs and should be distributed in October, a few weeks before the midterm elections, scheduled for November 3rd.

The announcement was made by Trump last Friday night (2), in a publication in Truth Social. The president had already announced, last month, that around 1 million people would receive checks worth US$500 (R$2,605) to help pay premiums for health plans linked to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

Trump also promised to send $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections. The measure would depend on Congressional approval and could cost more than US$1 trillion, increasing the public deficit and putting pressure on inflation.

The series of announcements comes as polls show rising American dissatisfaction with the cost of living. Only 17% approve of Trump's performance in combating inflation. The president has been blamed by part of the population for the high prices of gasoline and food, while claiming that the American economy is growing strongly.

According to the White House, the $90 payments will be financed by the Medicare Improvement Fund, a fund created by Congress in 2008 to finance improvements in the functioning of Medicare and payments to healthcare providers.

Previous administrations have not used the Medicare Improvement Fund to make payments of this type. Congress, however, has already withdrawn resources from the fund to finance other initiatives.

According to Larry Levitt, executive vice president of health policy at KFF, the legislation that regulates the fund gives the government broad latitude to decide how to use the resources.