President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind a new Republican-led proposal that would funnel one-time payments into Americans’ health savings accounts — aiming to ease the cost burden on those using the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Under the plan, individuals aged 18–49 who qualify would receive $1,000, while those aged 50–64 would get $1,500.
To qualify, enrollees must be on ACA “bronze” or catastrophic plans and have household incomes no more than 700 percent of the federal poverty threshold. Those on silver, gold, or platinum plans — as well as individuals covered by employer-sponsored insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid — are not eligible under the proposal.
The bill is sponsored by Senators Bill Cassidy and Mike Crapo and would allocate roughly $10 billion toward these payments. The measure is scheduled for a procedural vote in the Senate this week — a showdown with Democrats’ competing bill to extend ACA premium subsidies.
If passed, the proposal marks a major shift: directing federal support straight to consumers rather than insurance companies, part of a broader GOP effort to lower healthcare costs while reshaping the role of federal subsidies in the ACA system.