More than 791,000 Cook County residents, including those in Park Ridge and Niles, have had medical debt wiped from their records under a county program that crossed the $1 billion mark on Sunday, Aug. 16.
The Medical Debt Relief Initiative has canceled $1,048,722,692 since launching in 2022, according to a Cook County announcement. The county invested $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and partnered with national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, which buys old hospital debt portfolios at pennies on the dollar and erases the balances entirely.
That $9 million turned into more than $1 billion in relief because Undue Medical Debt purchases qualifying debt at an average of less than $1 per $100 of face value, according to Capitol News Illinois.
"Medical debt should never stand between someone and their future," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in the Aug. 16 announcement.
Who qualifies
Park Ridge and Niles residents are eligible under the same criteria as all Cook County residents. To qualify, a person must have household income up to 400% of the federal poverty level, which is just over $100,000 a year for a family of three, or carry medical debt equal to 5% or more of annual income.
No application is required. Eligible debts are erased automatically, and recipients are notified by mail in a branded Cook County and Undue Medical Debt envelope. Those notification letters will begin arriving the week of Monday, Aug. 17.
What comes next
The current round is the program's last under federal ARPA funding. Preckwinkle will propose continued funding using Cook County general funds in the fiscal year 2027 budget, though no specific dollar amount has been announced. The next phase will also focus on using program data to address the root causes of medical debt, according to the county.
Cook County is the first local government in the country to partner with Undue Medical Debt, and the initiative represents the most medical debt abolished by any county nationwide. The county continues to encourage local hospitals and medical providers to participate, which expands the program's reach.
Recipients who receive a letter do not owe anything and face no tax consequences. More information is available at arpa.cookcountyil.gov/medical-debt-relief-initiative.
