Dave Almeida of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, NC DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley and Gov. Roy Cooper at a press conference on medical debt forgiveness. (Photo: Lynn Bonner)
Gov. Roy Cooper announced a plan that could erase hospital medical debts for low- and middle- income residents with bills they can’t afford to pay.
The plan involves increased federal payments to hospitals in exchange for the hospitals forgiving old medical debt and helping patients avoid new debt.
The federal government must approve the plan and hospitals must agree to specific conditions for debt forgiveness.
Nearly half a million people have enrolled in expanded Medicaid since December 1. But the weight of medical debt “still casts a long shadow,” Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference Monday.
As people sought to enroll, they relayed their experiences of living with medical debt, said Kody Kinsley, state Department of Health and Human Services secretary.
“They’re still struggling with the burden of debt that they had from a cancer diagnosis or procedure that they had just a few years prior,” Kinsley said. “It’s clear that by providing relief for medical debt, we give North Carolinians not just peace of mind but truly a fresh start.”