Wayne County seeks to wipe away up to $700M in medical debt for 300,000 residents

(Detroit Free Press) A new program aims to relieve medical debt for up to 300,000 Wayne County residents.

The county is partnering with the national nonprofit RIP Medical Debt to eliminate as much as $700 million in medical debt for those who are eligible. Last week, Wayne County Commissioners approved a contract to work with the organization.

"We just believe that you shouldn't be strapped with a debt that will ruin your credit, will take away your financial opportunities and create the kind of anxiety that medical debt does for too many people," said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services.

One in 12 American adults — or 12 million people — owe medical debt, according to an analysis from the Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF. Despite the vast majority of the population having some form of health insurance, medical debt is an ongoing problem, forcing people to cut back on how much they spend on food, clothing and household items, researchers said. The report found that about 690,000 people in Michigan, or 9% of adults on average, reported having medical debt in a given year. .................(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2024/03/13/a-wayne-county-program-aims-to-wipe-away-up-to-700m-in-medical-debt/72941740007/