EUGENE — Jonathan Deline was surprised to find a $500 federal check and a letter signed by President Donald Trump in his mailbox this week. The payment was a one-time refund for some people who bought Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance without federal help paying their premiums. Deline, 40, is self-employed and has purchased his own health coverage for more than a decade. He recently canceled his insurance before moving to New Zealand, and initially wondered whether the check was related to ending his coverage. He deposited it to make sure it was real. “I wanted to see if this was real,” Deline said. “And there it was, $500 in my bank account.” The Trump administration is sending the payments to nearly 1 million people in 30 states who bought plans through HealthCare.gov without federal premium subsidies. The money comes from fees insurers paid to offer marketplace plans; those fees were passed on to consumers through premiums. The fund accumulated a surplus as enrollment grew and federal spending on advertising and enrollment assistance was reduced. In the letter accompanying Deline’s check, Trump blamed the Biden administration for collecting more than was needed to run HealthCare.gov and claimed credit for returning the money. The payments are arriving less than a month before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Deline said he had received federal assistance with his premiums in most previous years, but lost that help this year. Enhanced subsidies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic expired at the end of 2025 after Congress did not extend them. His monthly premium rose from about $400 last year to $525 this year — roughly $1,500 more over a year, three times the check. About 140,000 Oregonians bought individual health insurance earlier this year, down more than 15% from 2025. State regulators have largely attributed the decline to the loss of more generous subsidies. About 60% of this year’s marketplace enrollees still received federal premium assistance and are not eligible for the checks. People who dropped coverage because they could no longer afford it may also be excluded. Federal officials have not said how many Oregonians will receive checks or fully detailed the eligibility rules. Recipients do not need to apply; checks are being mailed directly. Deline said he remains unsure why he qualified. The payments are a one-time measure as consumers prepare for another increase in costs. Premiums are expected to rise an average of 21.6% next year, following an average increase of nearly 10% for 2026. Consumers in Oregon will also have fewer options: Providence Health Plan and PacificSource are leaving the state’s individual insurance market at year’s end, while Moda Health is reducing its presence in parts of Oregon. The departures will require tens of thousands of people to find new coverage. Open enrollment begins Nov. 1. Oregon is also set to launch Explore Health, a state-run website for comparing and buying insurance that will replace HealthCare.gov for Oregonians. Deline, who is preparing to move abroad, said the extra money is welcome, even as it falls well short of covering his higher insurance costs.