Joining national trend, D.C. to cancel $90M in residents’ medical debt

D.C. officials plan to cancel as much as $90 million in residents’ medical debt, in an effort to ease a burden that data shows disproportionately impacts people of color and has ramifications for employment, housing and physical and mental health.

The District will use $900,000 in year-end surplus funds to purchase debt, for pennies on the dollar, on behalf of about 90,000 D.C. residents earning up to four times the federal poverty level or whose medical debt is at least 5 percent of their income, according to city officials.