黑料新闻 will use funding from the American Rescue Plan Act this year to forgive medical debt for an estimated quarter million state residents, according to Gov. Ned Lamont鈥檚 office.
, lawmakers in the state budget toward erasing eligible residents鈥� medical debt. Using the federal pandemic relief, 黑料新闻 that buys medical debt for a small amount of the cost. The state is still in the process of contracting with a vendor, a spokesperson for Lamont鈥檚 office said.
On Friday, Lamont touted the upcoming relief on .
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important that people have a sense that they can start building wealth of their own,鈥� Lamont said . 鈥淲e鈥檙e making that easier for people to do. And the best way to start is [to] eliminate the debt you鈥檝e got.鈥�
Four in 10 in the U.S., according to KFF health policy data. A disproportionate number of those affected by medical debt are Black and Hispanic.
State residents whose medical debt is over 5% of their income, or who earn up to four times the federal poverty line, will be eligible for the relief. Those individuals could be notified as early as this summer, according to Lamont鈥檚 office.
There is no application process for debt cancellation, Lamont鈥檚 office said. The chosen vendor will examine hospitals鈥� large portfolios of debt that meet eligibility criteria.
