A bill has been introduced in the Utah state legislature that would earmark $100,000 of government funds to be used to purchase unpaid medical debt of state residents and have it forgiven, similar to other programs that have been announced in cities and states across the country.
A copy of the bill, S.B. 195, can be accessed by clicking here. The bill was introduced by state Sen. Nate Blouin, a Democrat.
“This bill would provide much-needed relief to Utah families burdened with medical debt by directing the Department of Workforce Services to contract with medical debt relief entities for the acquisition and forgiveness of medical debt,” Sen. Blouin said in a post to his Facebook page last week announcing that the Senate Health and Human Services Committee was holding a hearing on the bill.
If enacted, the legislation would create a Medical Debt Relief Restricted Account, consisting of appropriations from the state legislature, contributions from government entities and individuals, and interest earned on the account. It would be used only to fund the purchase of medical debt bills. The legislature would determine the amount of appropriations to be added to the account every year when it determines the state’s budget.
In another post, Sen. Blouin thanked RIP Medical Debt for its help in advancing the legislation. RIP Medical debt has worked with TV stations, churches, and local governments to purchase and forgive unpaid medical debts. Earlier this month, Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut announced a plan to spend $20 million to purchase and forgive $2 billion of unpaid medical debts for residents in the state.
