Nearly 23,000 Connecticut residents have had medical debt erased and don’t yet know it. Gov. Ned :Lamont made the announcement Monday that the initiative through a partnership between the state government and the national nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt had been successful.

County officials said the program will initially eliminate $500 million in debt by using a $5 million investment to purchase medical debt for pennies on the dollar for low-income residents. The County Board of Supervisors approved the program earlier this year, which was spearheaded by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell.

Los Angeles County announced its $2 billion Medical Debt Relief Program aimed at helping low-income residents settle past-due bills. "The launch of this program is a critical step forward in ensuring that those receiving critical medical services do not find themselves experiencing financial harm associated with not being able to afford care,