More Than Half of Floridians on Medicare Won’t Get the One-Time $90 Payment

Two neighbors can both be on Medicare, and only one of them gets the one-time $90 payment.

It comes down to the kind of Medicare you have.

Your income and help with your premium matter, too.

Here’s who’s getting the $90, and where that leaves Floridians on Medicare.

Note: This is general information, not insurance advice. Eligibility rules and payment dates are subject to change, so confirm the details with Medicare.

Who Qualifies for the Payment

The $90 payment goes to 20.8 million people in Original Medicare, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

To qualify, you need Original Medicare with Part B, which helps cover services from doctors and outpatient care, and a home in the United States.

Two more things disqualify you: Medicaid help with your Part B premium, and an income-related surcharge on it.

The payment is a rebate on Part B premiums, and it comes from the Medicare Improvement Fund.

At 20.8 million payments of $90, the total comes to about $1.9 billion, out of a fund the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit that helps people with Medicare, says holds about $2 billion.

Medicare Advantage Enrollees

People in Medicare Advantage plans, the private alternative to Original Medicare, don’t get the $90 payment.

That rule holds even if you pay the Part B premium, as many Medicare Advantage enrollees do.

Florida had 5,287,658 people on Medicare as of January 2026, and 57% of them were in private Medicare Advantage plans.

That’s roughly 3 million people in plans the payment doesn’t cover.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit health policy research organization, counted about 56% of Florida’s Medicare beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage and other health plans in 2024.

Either way, more than half of Floridians on Medicare aren’t eligible for the payment before any other rule applies.

That leaves roughly 2.3 million Floridians in Original Medicare.

Some of them also receive Medicaid premium help or pay the income-related surcharge.

The number who receive the $90 is smaller still.

Nationally, KFF says about 35 million people in Medicare Advantage aren’t eligible, and less than half of all beneficiaries will get the payment.

Medicaid Premium Help

Medicaid help with your Part B premium also rules you out of the $90 payment.

Not sure if that’s you?

Medicaid help with that premium often comes through a Medicare Savings Program, which your state runs.

To qualify, your income and resources usually have to fall below a limit.

In 2026, the monthly income limit for one person runs from $1,350 to $1,816, depending on the program, with a $9,950 limit on resources.

Some states approve people above those limits.

Medicare says to apply even if you don’t think you qualify.

Checking on a Missing Payment

Two phone numbers cover questions about the $90 payment, and each answers something different.

CMS lists 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for questions about eligibility.

For payment status, the Social Security Administration (SSA) lists 1-800-772-1213, beginning October 15.

Most people were due a direct deposit from the SSA on or around October 8.

If you don’t have direct deposit, you were due a paper check from the U.S. Treasury later in October, mailed to the address you registered with Medicare.

The check should read “Medicare Improvement Fund Payment; $90 Payment to Offset October Premium.”

Be wary of any text or email asking for bank details, and call one of those two lines to check.

Open Enrollment Overlap

Medicare’s fall open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, right around the $90 payment.

During that window, you can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare.

Changes you make take effect January 1 of the next year.

The payment, by contrast, is one rebate for October 2026, so a switch this fall comes after it.

2027 Premium Math

One month of the standard Part B premium costs $202.90 in 2026, more than twice the $90 payment.

If you pay the standard rate, 12 months of Part B adds up to about $2,435.