Vance boasts of '$2.2 billion saved' as Trump ejects 760,000 from Obamacare over 'phantom people' fraud ring

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 23 September 2026.

The Trump administration has started disenrolling 760,000 people from Obamacare after Vice President JD Vance announced a major crackdown on fraudulent sign-ups, claiming some beneficiaries "quite literally didn't even exist." Vance, who heads the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, says the removals will save taxpayers $2.2 billion in federal subsidies. Health Secretary Dr Mehmet Oz has put new Obamacare broker registrations on ice for six months while the investigation proceeds. A single fraud ring involving 40 brokerage agents is said to have funnelled 50,000 fake or ineligible people into the system.

Vance said 419,000 additional enrollees will face fresh eligibility checks on legal residency and income before their coverage is confirmed.

The crackdown targets both 'phantom people' who never existed and real individuals unknowingly signed up by rogue brokers, with 569 agents facing suspension.

Obamacare premiums have already doubled or tripled for millions of Americans after Republicans allowed Covid-era subsidies to expire this year.