Illinois Has Erased $1.4 Billion in Medical Debt for About 694,000 Residents
The state's two-year-old program needs no application, and Cook County says it will keep funding its own effort.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced this week that the state's medical debt relief program has erased more than $1.4 billion in debt for roughly 694,000 residents, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined him at the news conference.
The numbers
- More than $1.4 billion in medical debt erased through the state program, which began about two years ago
- About 694,000 residents reached, with an average of roughly $1,200 erased per person
- $10 million allocated by the state to the program
- $2.4 billion and about 1.5 million residents when state and county programs are combined
All figures come from state and county officials.
How it works
Residents do not apply. The state and Cook County work with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, which negotiates the purchase or donation of medical debt portfolios from hospitals and health systems. Eligible households typically have income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level. People whose debt is erased receive a letter in the mail saying how much was removed.
"I've talked to some folks who've received a letter like that; people have broken out crying." — Gov. JB Pritzker
Why it matters
Medical debt can follow families for years and affect credit, housing and decisions about seeking care. Relief that arrives without paperwork reaches people who might never have known they qualified.
What's next
Cook County started its program with federal pandemic-era recovery funds and Preckwinkle said the county will continue funding it after those run out. She also said the next phase will use data from the effort to study who falls into medical debt and why. The article notes that it does not independently explain how $10 million in state funds translated into $1.4 billion in erased debt; debt portfolios are typically bought at a small fraction of face value.
Illinois joins other states, including [Kentucky](/news/kentucky-erases-250-million-medical-debt/) and [Kansas](/news/kansas-27000-residents-42-million-medical-debt-relief/), that have turned to the same approach.
