If an unexpected $90 deposit from Social Security showed up in your bank account this week, it is a one-time Medicare Part B premium rebate, not a mistake and not a cost-of-living increase. In Maryland, where about three in four Medicare enrollees are in Original Medicare rather than Medicare Advantage, a relatively large share of seniors could fall into the group that qualifies.
The payment is managed by two agencies headquartered in Woodlawn, Baltimore County: the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which set the rules, and the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is sending most of the money by direct deposit.
What is the $90 Social Security deposit?
According to a CMS fact sheet dated Oct. 3, the administration is paying a single $90 “premium rebate” to certain Medicare beneficiaries to offset Part B premiums. That is roughly half of this year’s standard monthly Part B premium of about $202, Axios reported.
“Eligible beneficiaries will receive one $90 rebate in October 2026.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Improvement Fund Premium Rebate FAQ
CMS says most recipients get a direct deposit from SSA on or around Oct. 8, followed by an email or letter from the president in mid-October. Others will receive a paper check from the U.S. Treasury later in the month. The fact sheet lists no application step.
Who qualifies for the $90 Medicare rebate, and who doesn’t?
CMS puts the eligible group at about 20.8 million people nationwide. The rules come down to which part of Medicare you are in and whether someone else already pays your premium.
| Your situation | Gets the $90? |
|---|---|
| Original Medicare with Part B, living in the U.S., paying the standard premium | Yes |
| Enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan | No |
| Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program pays your Part B premium | No |
| Pay an income-related surcharge (IRMAA) on top of the standard premium | No |
| Living outside the United States | No |
Why could more Marylanders qualify than seniors in other states?
About 1,185,182 Marylanders were enrolled in Medicare as of February 2026, and only about 25% of them were in Medicare Advantage, according to CMS enrollment data summarized by healthinsurance.org. Nationally, 54% of eligible beneficiaries were in Medicare Advantage in 2025, according to KFF.
Because Medicare Advantage members are excluded, that gap matters. Roughly three-quarters of Maryland’s Medicare population is in the Original Medicare pool that the rebate targets. Some of those people will still be screened out because Medicaid covers their premium or because they pay IRMAA, and CMS has not published a state-by-state count of recipients that we could find.
Health policy researchers have linked Maryland’s comparatively low Medicare Advantage enrollment to the state’s unique hospital rate-setting system, under which hospitals are paid the same rates regardless of insurer. Health Affairs has examined that connection.
Where does the money come from?
The rebate is paid from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress created in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 to improve original fee-for-service Medicare Parts A and B. CMS’s fact sheet says Congress has tapped the fund about 20 times to offset other spending, including $20.7 billion in 2010 toward the Affordable Care Act.
President Donald Trump announced the payments on Truth Social on Oct. 2, calling the fund a “Slush Fund,” NBC News reported. CMS describes him as the first president to use the fund to lower costs for enrollees. The payments arrive weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and news coverage, including NBC’s, has noted that timing and the president’s earlier, unfulfilled pledges of other rebate checks. The White House separately said it sent $500 rebate checks to about 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees starting Sept. 30.
How can Maryland seniors check whether they got it?
- Eligibility questions: Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
- Payment status: CMS says SSA will answer questions at 1-800-772-1213 starting Oct. 15.
- Free local counseling: The Maryland Department of Aging’s Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can be reached at 1-800-243-3425, according to CMS’s directory.
- No direct deposit? Look for a Treasury check later in October, mailed to the address Medicare has on file.
Could the $90 rebate attract scammers?
Any well-publicized government payment tends to draw imitation calls and texts. Based on CMS’s description, the rebate is delivered automatically through existing SSA deposits or by mail, and the fact sheet describes no application or fee. Treat any caller asking for your Medicare number, bank details or a payment to “release” the $90 as a red flag, and hang up and call the official numbers above instead.
For another October payment many Maryland households are watching, see our guide to Cash App settlement payments.
Featured image: The Social Security Administration’s Metro West complex at 300 N. Greene St. in Baltimore. Photo: Eli Pousson / Baltimore Heritage via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.