Wayne County, Mich., home to Detroit, has announced a program to relieve medical debt for up to 300,000 county residents, the Michigan Advocate reported March 7.
The county is partnering with RIP Medical Debt to relieve up to $700 million in medical debt, according to the report. RIP Medical Debt is a nonprofit that purchases medical debt in batches for pennies on the dollar.
The county and RIP Medical Debt will use American Rescue Plan Act funding to purchase the debt.
The program does not require county residents to apply for relief, according to the report. Eligible residents are those who earn at or below four times the federal poverty level or have debts that are 5% or more of their annual income.