The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has wiped out more than a third of 1 billion dollars of medical debt for Illinois Residents. Legislators created the medical debt relief program with 10 million dollars in the 2024 state budget.
Lizzy Whitelaw, director of HFS says the need for the program is statewide.
Illinois HFS is working with nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to run the program. They purchase outstanding medical debt of eligible Illinois residents from healthcare providers. They purchase it at a discounted price forgiving it at no cost to the individuals.
There's no need to apply for the program. Undue looks for hospital debt that meets eligibility requirements. Illinois residents with a household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level or have medical debt that equals 5% or more of household income are eligible. Undue will notify you by mail if you qualify.
The program's already having an impact.
Jackson, Perry, and Randolph Counties are in the top five of Illinois counties with forgiven debt.
9 million dollars in debt was relieved for 36 hundred individuals throughout 8 southern Illinois counties. That's just part of the 363 million dollars in medical debt for more than 300 thousand individuals statewide.
You can find out more from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services: https://hfs.illinois.gov/info/medicaldebtrelief.html
Or from Undue Medical Debt's website: https://unduemedicaldebt.org/
