Cook County erases $665M in medical debt for over half a million residents
Cook County launched a Medical Debt Relief Initiative in 2022 using $9 million in COVID-19 funds.
The program has erased $665 million in medical debt for over 550,000 residents through a partnership with Undue Medical Debt.
Officials say the relief reduces financial stress and encourages people to return for preventive and emergency care.
COOK COUNTY - Getting sick is hard enough — but the medical bills that follow can be just as painful. Which is why years ago, Cook County created a program to help people tackle medical debt.
What we know
On Thursday, Cook County board President Toni Preckwinkle touted its success.
"We're stepping in where the system has failed and where families would otherwise be left to shoulder these costs alone," Preckwinkle said.
Cook County leaders provided an update on the Medical Debt Relief Initiative, which was launched by the county in 2022 using $9 million in COVID funds.
The county partners with a company called Undue Medical Debt, which buys up old and uncollectible bills from hospitals and health centers for a fraction of the price--then forgives that debt.
Preckwinkle said since the program started, the county has erased $665 million in medical debt carried by more than 550,000 Cook County residents.
To qualify for debt relief, you must have an income no more than four times the poverty level, or have medical debt that's 5% or more of your annual income.
Nationwide, more than 20 million Americans carry some amount of medical debt, making it one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the United States.
The company that buys up the uncollected debt for Cook County said they've heard from hundreds of people who have been surprised to get a letter in the mail saying they're debt-free.
"It's a mental weight that's been lifted from them. That the burden of owing that medical bill is no longer there," said Undue Medical Debt Vice President Courtney Werpy Story. "We've also heard both from our constituents as well as hospitals that those whose medical debt is forgiven tend to return to care. They're less afraid of going back to the doctor or hospital system to receive either preventative or emergency care as well."
What's next
Preckwinkle said when the federal money runs out next year, Cook County will consider funding the debt relief initiative on its own.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Surgery Partners (SGRY) Reports Earnings Tomorrow: What To Expect
Healthcare company Surgery Partners (NASDAQ:SGRY) will be reporting results this Tuesday before market open. Here's what to expect. Surgery Partners met analysts' revenue expectations last quarter, reporting revenues of $776 million, up 8.2% year on year. It was a slower quarter for the company, with a significant miss of analysts' EPS estimates and full-year revenue guidance meeting analysts' expectations. Is Surgery Partners a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it's free. This quarter, analysts are expecting Surgery Partners's revenue to grow 7.1% year on year to $816.1 million, slowing from the 14.2% increase it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.14 per share. The majority of analysts covering the company have reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Surgery Partners has missed Wall Street's revenue estimates four times over the last two years. Looking at Surgery Partners's peers in the healthcare providers & services segment, some have already reported their Q2 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Select Medical delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 4.5%, meeting analysts' expectations, and CVS Health reported revenues up 8.4%, topping estimates by 5.1%. Select Medical traded down 15.1% following the results while CVS Health's stock price was unchanged. Read our full analysis of Select Medical's results here and CVS Health's results here. Debates over possible tariffs and corporate tax adjustments have raised questions about economic stability in 2025. While some of the healthcare providers & services stocks have shown solid performance in this choppy environment, the group has generally underperformed, with share prices down 4.3% on average over the last month. Surgery Partners is down 3.4% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $31.08 (compared to the current share price of $21.28). Unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story. StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
12-year-old Gaza refugee brought to Atlanta as apart of massive medical evacuation
This week, Palestinian children from Gaza are arriving across the U.S. as a part of a medical evacuation through the nonprofit, Heal Palestine. Yassin Alghalban, 12, is among the latest group to escape the conflict, arriving in Atlanta Sunday afternoon. While searching for his toys in the rubble of their destroyed home on April 12, 2024, the 12-year-old lost both of his legs when an airstrike hit. Yassin's mother, Fadwa Almasry, said they've been trying to get medical care since then, but have faced several challenges in their attempts to evacuate, including the closure of the Rafah crossing and random security blocks. Steve Sosebee, co-founder of Heal Palestine, says they have been able to bring dozens of children over to the U.S. over the last year and a half. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'We actually have the largest single evacuation of injured kids coming to the United States today,' Sosebee told Channel 2's Brittany Kleinpeter. Sosebee welcomed Yassin and his family on Sunday afternoon, joined by a crowd of metro Atlanta supporters. 'The health sector in Gaza has been destroyed the so the treatment he should be getting in his land among his family and his people is not available to him,' said Sosebee. Yassin not only lost his legs but also lost his father in a bombing. The 12-year-old and his siblings have been living on one or no meals each day. 'They're all suffering from different levels of malnutrition,' added Sosebee. Yassin's doctor, who didn't want to be identified for safety and security reasons, shared that the 12-year-old will begin treatment this week, and they are looking at getting him prosthetics. Through a translator, Yassin's mother shared this sentiment about her son's care. 'I'm very happy as a mom to be able to have this opportunity for him to be treated, and what I want to see is Yassin to walk again. And I want him to get back to normal life, where he's earning an education. I want him to be a teacher or a doctor,' said Almasry. TRENDING STORIES: Deputies search Georgia home for wanted woman. They found more than clothes hidden in a dresser Teen girl, unborn child dies in middle Georgia shooting VIDEO: Rare congregation of over 300 alligators spotted in southeast Georgia lake [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Largest National Org Of OB-GYNs Cuts Financial Ties With Trump Admin
The country's largest organization of OB-GYN providers announced this week that it will stop accepting funds from the federal government. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which has more than 60,000 members nationwide, will reject federal funding for all programs and contracts in response to the Trump administration's policies, Axios reported Friday. ACOG appears to be the first nationwide physician organization to cut ties with the Trump administration since President Donald Trump enacted his large-scale campaign to slash all federal initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion. The national organization states on its website that diversity, equity and inclusion are part of the group's core values, which are integral to combating racism and oppression in medical care. The organization declined to expand on how this funding cut will impact its services but reiterated that ACOG remains committed to quality patient care and improving health outcomes. 'After careful deliberation, ACOG has made an organization-wide decision to stop accepting federal funding for all ACOG programs and activities for current contracts,' ACOG said in a statement to HuffPost on Friday. 'Recent changes in federal funding laws and regulations significantly impact ACOG's program goals, policy positions, and ability to provide timely and evidence-based guidance and recommendations for care.' The organization said it will continue to work with the Trump administration on policymaking decisions and advocating for OB-GYNs. 'We will evaluate opportunities to partner with the government in the future where our program goals align,' the statement reads. In response, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told HuffPost on Friday afternoon: 'Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government.' The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to HuffPost's request for comment. ACOG has been at odds with Trump since his conservative Supreme Court repealed federal abortion protections. The fall of Roe v. Wade created a domino effect of state abortion bans that put pregnant people's lives in danger and threatened to criminalize reproductive health providers.
