CHICAGO (WLS) — The state has erased over $1.4 billion in medical debt for almost 700,000 Illinoisans for pennies on the dollar, two years after launching a new relief program.
At its launch, the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program aimed to eliminate $1 billion in debt. The state has surpassed that goal by $400 million, spending less than $10 million in state dollars to achieve these results. That means that every state dollar invested in the program wiped out over $100 in debt.
That was possible due to the state’s partnership with Undue Medical Debt — a nonprofit that works with local governments and healthcare providers to purchase and eliminate qualifying medical debt owed by low-income residents.
“Medical debt is a leading cause of…