A claim circulating on social media suggests that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has halted annual royalty payments of $2.6 million to former President Barack Obama for the use of his name in Obamacare. However, Times Now Digital confirms that this claim is false.
No evidence of Obama receiving Obamacare royalties
The claim that Obama received royalty payments for Obamacare, the healthcare initiative launched during his presidency, has been debunked before.
According to an investigation by Snopes, this misinformation first appeared in 2017, during Donald Trump’s first term. The original claim suggested that Obama had trademarked the name ‘Obamacare’ and was earning millions in royalties. However, Snopes confirmed that Obama never trademarked the name and never received any payments linked to it.
Now, the same false claim has resurfaced, with new social media posts alleging that DOGE has stopped these non-existent payments.
Social media reactions
The misinformation has spread through posts such as:
🚨 DOGE stopped an annual payment to Barack Obama for $2.6 million for “royalties associated with Obamacare.” He’s been collecting it since 2010, for a total of $39 million in taxpayer dollars.
— Patriot in Chief (@Patriot_N_Chief), February 26, 2025
Another user wrote:
“I have heard it all now. Obama is getting royalties for passing the sh$t show of his healthcare plan. Listen to how much he’s getting paid. You can’t make this stuff up.”
— Lisa (@Lisahudsonchow7), February 26, 2025
The origin of the false claim
The Snopes report traced the claim back to a satirical website called Last Line of Defense, which is known for spreading misinformation.
One of its fake reports stated:
“The name ‘Obamacare’ appears in the text of the law 418 times and on healthcare exchange websites 129 times. Every time someone clicks on a page with that name, the Obamas receive 41 cents from the US Treasury’s general fund.”
What is Obamacare?
Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a U.S. healthcare law enacted in 2010 under President Obama. It expanded Medicaid, created health insurance marketplaces, and prohibited insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions. The goal was to increase access to affordable healthcare for millions of Americans.
While the law remains a topic of political debate, there is no evidence that Obama ever received royalties for its name or implementation.
