State lawmakers this year quietly approved a plan to abolish tens of millions of dollars in medical debt owed by Hawaiʻi residents in what may be one of the most unheralded but far-reaching bills of the 2026 legislative session.
The target of the ambitious scheme is a strange, sad corner of the American health care system where medical debt — much of it deemed to be uncollectible — is bought and sold for pennies on the dollar.
State Sen. Chris Lee, the bill’s lead sponsor, said an estimated 150,000 people in Hawaiʻi are currently saddled with medical debt such as overdue hospital charges, much of which…