Fact Check: Does Obama Really Get Royalties for Obamacare?

There has always been a lot of confusion and misconception surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — which sometimes goes by other names, including Obamacare, the Marketplace, and other state-specific monikers like Pennsylvania's Pennie — which was signed into law by then-President Obama in 2010.

And while many people support the ACA and the benefits that came along with it, like additional patient protections and limits on certain costs, there are still others who wish to see it go away.

As such, sometimes rumors get spread about the program to try and discredit it and sway public perception. One such claim is that the former president has been collecting quite a payday as a result of passing the ACA into law, which some people say may have earned Obama upwards of 40 million dollars.

But, does Obama actually get paid royalties as a result of the ACA becoming a law? Keep reading to learn more, including some facts about the differences between the ACA and Obamacare.

A satirical website known as America's Last Line of Defense has posted claims that Obama has profited from the ACA ever since it was signed into law. However, in 2017, the rumor was officially debunked, according to The Guardian.

While that should've put an end to claims that the former president had made a profit due to a decision he made during his time in office — an act that would have violated the Emoluments Clause, which is a provision of the Constitution, according to Britannica — it did not.

Instead, the rumor has resurfaced from time to time, most often as a talking point for those who are against the ACA, and who were unable (or unwilling) to fact-check the claim. Some of the more famous people to make this mistake include Donald Trump, who shared a post featuring the debunked rumor on Truth Social on Nov. 9, 2025.

After he shared the post, many people, including journalists and experts in their field, were quick to point out that Obama had never profited from any part of the ACA.

The Affordable Care Act is the official name of the federal statute, which was put in place to ensure that all Americans had access to affordable health insurance, regardless of their employment and income status. The law was later amended and expanded, and it helped not only expand coverage to millions but also overhaul the quality and coverage of certain programs.

It also added several protections, like banning insurance companies from denying people with preexisting conditions.

So, how does this differ from Obamacare? It doesn't. The two programs are one and the same. And while the ACA is the official name for the law, it has officially gone by other names (like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to Wikipedia), as well as Obamacare.

When it comes to why people sometimes call it Obamacare, well, you'll get different answers. Some believe that the nickname is a nod to the law's namesake, while others believe it's a way to make fun of it.