US President Donald Trump has announced a one-time payment of $90 each to more than 20 million older Americans enrolled in Medicare, the government health insurance programme. The administration says the money is meant to ease the cost of monthly premiums.
In a social media post on Friday night, Trump said the money would come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, to which Congress allocated $2 billion to improve Medicare’s fee-for-service programme. The White House said most eligible older Americans would receive $90 directly in their bank accounts in early October, and those without direct deposit would be sent cheques to their registered Medicare address.
The announcement comes ahead of the November midterm elections, in which the Republican Party is trying to keep control of Congress, where it holds narrow majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The rising cost of living and high fuel prices have squeezed Americans, and Trump has recently promised voters several financial benefits. Last month he said cheques of $5,000 for every adult American would be considered if Republicans held the House and Senate, a proposal that economists, analysts and some Republican lawmakers have questioned.
The administration has also begun paying $500 each to about a million Americans, which it says refunds extra fees charged to people who bought health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report