Lexington has made history as the first city in Kentucky to abolish medical debt for some of its residents, with Vice Mayor Dan Wu announcing that more than $12.6 million in medical debt has been erased for 6,484 Fayette County residents.
The groundbreaking initiative, three years in the making, began when Wu proposed allocating $1 million to tackle the growing medical debt crisis. The Urban County Council unanimously approved the plan in October 2024, partnering with Undue Medical Debt, a national nonprofit that purchases large bundles of unpaid medical bills at steep discounts and eliminates them completely.
“Today, I am thrilled to announce the first round of medical debt relief here in Lexington, Fayette County,” Wu said. “In partnership with Undue Medical Debt, we have purchased and abolished $12,641,416 of medical debt providing much needed relief to 6,484 of our residents.”…