Did Elon Musk's DOGE halt Obama's $2.6 million Obamacare Royalties?

Former U.S. President Barack Obama is making headlines again—but this time, for all the wrong reasons. On Thursday, social media platforms were flooded with claims that the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stopped paying Barack Obama the $2.6 million annual royalty payment for royalties associated with Obamacare.

The post on microblogging platform X also alleged, "Obama has been collecting it since 2010, for a total of $39 million in taxpayer dollars."

According to The Dunning-Kruger Times, a little-known part of the Affordable Care Act gave Obama a small share every time people used the program's popular nickname.

What's the truth behind the viral claim?

According to the fact-check website Snopes, the claim was declared false. The bizarre claim originally surfaced in January 2017, claiming Obama racked up millions of dollars in royalties from its use by the U.S. government.

President Obama's signature law was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), not Obamacare.

Meanwhile, X debunked the viral claims in its 'Reader added context' section. It read, "The claim that President Obama received payments for royalties associated with Obamacare originates from a satirical news site in 2017 and has been debunked since. DOGE has not reported any such cut, and no evidence exists to support the claim."

It also termed the claim 'misleading.'

The conspiracy theory resurfaced in 2025 and took social media by storm. It triggered the ongoing debate about Elon Musk's DOGE and its supposed activities. Here's how netizens reacted:

Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is an American healthcare law enacted during President Barack Obama's administration. It increased Medicaid, established health insurance exchanges, and prohibited insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. Its primary goal was to make healthcare affordable for countless Americans.