Cook County, Ill.’s medical debt relief initiative has now abolished more than $1 billion in medical debt, the most erased by any county in the U.S.
The county, home to Chicago, launched the program in 2022 in partnership with Undue Medical Debt, nonprofit that purchases and forgives medical debt for pennies on the dollar, according to the report. The county has used $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to abolish $1,048,722,692.86 in debt for over 791,000 residents, roughly 22% of eligible adults living in Cook County, according to an Aug. 17 news release.
Residents qualify automatically if they live in Cook County, earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level, or carry medical debt equal to 5% or more of their annual income.
The county surpassed the $1 billion milestone in its last round of ARPA funds, but Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will propose continued funding of the initiative in the 2027 budget. The next round of the initiative includes an increased focus on utilizing the data collected through the program to implement policy interventions that address the ongoing drivers of medical debt.
Nationally, more than 100 million adults have medical debt amounting to an estimated $195 billion, according to the release.
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