"NYC and RIP Medical Debt Partner to Erase $2 Billion in Medical Debt for 500,000 Residents"

New York City has joined a growing number of local governments in erasing residents' medical debt, following the lead of Cook County, Ill. The county partnered with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that uses private donor funds to buy and forgive health care debts. This initiative has spread to other local governments, including Akron, Cleveland, Toledo, Ohio, New Orleans, Wayne County, Mich., and Washington, D.C. New York City's mayor noted that medical debt disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities, and the program aims to alleviate the burden on low-income residents. The move to forgive medical debt is gaining bipartisan support and drawing attention to the broader issue of unequal access to healthcare.