Somerville, Mass., is looking to become the first Massachusetts city to partner with RIP Medical Debt to eliminate $4.3 million of its residents' debt, the Boston Herald reported Jan. 24.
The proposal is spearheaded by City Councilor Willie Burney Jr. and will use $200,000 to abolish 5,000 residents' medical debt. To qualify for debt relief, Somerville residents have to earn no more than four times the poverty line or have debt making up 5 percent or more of their household income.
Massachusetts has the lowest average medical debt per resident in the U.S. The City Council will hear more about Mr. Burney's proposal at a Feb. 13 meeting.
"Abolishing medical debt for Somerville is about freeing up people economically, about healing them physically so they can go out and get more preventative care," Mr. Burney told the Herald. "It's also about knowing that the government can be a tool to ensure we have human rights in this country."