New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy forgives $100 mln in medical debt [View all]
Source: Reuters
August 20, 2024 7:35 PM EDT Updated 10 hours ago
NEW YORK, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Nearly 50,000 people in New Jersey will have $100 million in medical debt erased, Governor Phil Murphy said on Tuesday, in one of the largest cases of a state providing direct relief to people unable to pay medical bills.
Murphy allocated $550,000 in federal American Rescue Plan funds and partnered with Undue Medical Debt, a non-profit that buys unpaid medical bills from hospitals at a discount, to execute the one-time debt abolishment.
New Jersey residents who qualify for the relief began receiving letters on Monday, according to a press release from the governor's office. “Medical debt accumulates very quickly and can follow a person for decades," Murphy said in the release. "We are wiping the slate clean for thousands of New Jersey families, eliminating their debt, and making a real, tangible impact on their lives."
Those who qualify for the relief are at least four times below the federal poverty level or have medical debt that equals 5% or more of their annual income, according to the press release.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-jersey-governor-phil-murphy-forgives-100-mln-medical-debt-2024-08-20/
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