A new program overseen by the state’s health department will help eliminate medical debt for those struggling to pay their hospital bills in North Carolina and now has uniform support from hospitals.
Gov. Roy Cooper recently announced that all of the state’s 99 acute care hospitals will participate in an innovative new medical debt forgiveness program for low- and middle-income patients.
“We are excited to announce all of North Carolina’s 99 hospitals have signed up to participate in the program,” Cooper said. “This makes sense for the hospitals, their patients and their communities.”
Cooper said the move could forgive up to $4 billion for approximately 2 million North Carolina residents. Much of that is hospital debt. The program will use the state Medicaid system and federal money to encourage hospitals to waive past debts.
Locally, officials at UNC Health Nash are still learning how this complicated federal program will work, how it will affect the hospital and how those with medical debt will be forgiven.