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,

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.

Governor Ned Lamont Monday is expected to announce thousands of residents will soon have some- if not all- of their medical debt forgiven.

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.

Due to a new pilot program, an estimated 150,000 residents across L.A. County will soon have their medical debt cleared, and thousands more will be notified in the coming month of similar news.

Connecticut is working to relieve the often-overwhelming burden of medical debt by enlisting a nonprofit that crunches that debt, easing costs for thousands of families. The nonprofit, Undue Medical Debt,