Connecticut will become the first state to begin paying off resident medical debt, according to a Dec. 17 report from Boston.com.
Beginning Dec. 23, nearly 23,000 state residents with debt totaling $30 million will automatically be informed by mail that some or all of their debt is paid off.
Connecticut has partnered with national nonprofit charity Undue Medical Debt to eventually wipe out $1 billion in debt for an estimated 250,000 residents.
Undue Medical Debt began in 2014 and has erased a total of $15 billion in medical debt for patients who meet certain income levels. Recently, it began partnering with state and local governments to erase debt.
Through the partnership, New Jersey conducted two rounds of debt cancellations this year totaling $220 million, while Illinois announced last month that nearly $72 million in debt has so far been eliminated, according to the report.
The group also has partnerships with Arizona and Rhode Island. Los Angeles county also has plans to erase debt for 150,000 residents.