Illinois officials say a first-in-the-nation statewide medical debt relief initiative has already wiped out roughly $1 billion in medical bills for more than half a million residents.
In his latest budget address, Pritzker said Illinois launched its “historic medical debt relief program” two years ago to help working families overwhelmed by unexpected hospital and doctor bills. He announced that, as of this week, the state has negotiated the elimination of 1 billion dollars in medical debt for about 520,000 Illinoisans across all 102 counties, calling it immediate financial relief delivered for pennies on the dollar.
The Medical Debt Relief Program is run by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which uses…