Davis-Backed Medical Debt Relief Program Erases More than $400 Million of Medical Debt in Its First Year

CHICAGO – The Medical Debt Relief Program, made possible by this year’s budget and supported by state Rep. Lisa Davis, D-Chicago, has erased nearly $430 million in medical debt for working-class Illinoisans for pennies on the dollar.

“Our healthcare system should be designed to provide care to all who need it, rather than be a financial burden to anyone who asks for help,” said Davis. “As a mother, there is nothing worse than seeing your child sick. Knowing that so many parents feel medical attention is out of reach because of its cost, and the potential of going into debt is preventing people from getting help, is horrifying. We can’t allow this to keep happening.”

The Medical Debt Relief Program that Davis put her support behind earlier this year is a fiscally responsible assistance initiative for low-income Illinoisans with lingering medical debt they cannot pay. The low-quality of the debt results in a more than 150-to-1 return for every dollar spent, and this program has now relieved $430 million for 358,000 residents across Illinois in just one year.

This year, Davis helped pass a range of affordable healthcare measures including:

• The Prescription Drug Affordability Act, which banned a range of practices that drive up the cost of vital prescription drugs;
• Mental health legislation to help ensure mental and behavioral healthcare is on the same footing as physical healthcare; and
• A budget that funded the construction of new hospitals in underserved areas throughout Illinois.

“I am proud of this program and what it accomplished in its first year, and am looking forward to the financial assistance it will continue to provide,” said Davis. “This program shows that millions of dollars in medical debt that are burdening those in our community could be erased, and that’s exactly what must be done. I’ll continue to fight for accessible and affordable healthcare for my community and around Illinois.”