Michigan took another step Monday in its effort to eliminate medical debt for thousands of residents.
The state announced it would wipe out $74 million in medical debt for 71,871 individuals. It’s the second round of a program that began last year, when the state said it would help residents erase more than $144 million in medical debt.
The move comes amid a bipartisan push to offer patients more protections from collections by keeping them from going underwater on their hospital bills.
Officials say more than $200 million in medical debt has been forgiven for roughly 280,000 Michiganders since the program launched last year.
About 1 in 11 adults in Michigan — about 690,000 people — report having at least $250 in medical debt,…