Milwaukee County medical debt proposal could help 67K, supervisor says<\/h4>\n
Medical bills can stack up, but a proposed Milwaukee County resolution could help relieve some of the debt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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MILWAUKEE<\/strong> – <\/span>Medical bills can stack up, but a proposed Milwaukee County<\/a> resolution could help relieve some of the debt.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “What we want to do is help people who are really hurting because of the harm that medical debt has caused in their lives,” said Shawn Rolland, Milwaukee County<\/a> supervisor.<\/p>\n Rolland proposes the county use $1.6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, and partner with a nonprofit to help people erase medical debt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (Photo by Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n “Would go towards purchasing and then forgiving $153 million of medical debt for our neighbors in Milwaukee County<\/a>,” said Rolland.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How is that possible? Rolland said it would involve paying off old debt. \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “And because of that, the value of that medical debt comes down significantly,” said Rolland.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rolland said 17% of Milwaukee County<\/a> has medical debt — higher than the national average.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If approved, Rolland said about 67,000 Milwaukee County<\/a> residents would qualify.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n “What this can be for Milwaukee County<\/a> residents is a reset button,” said Ben Weston, Medical College of Wisconsin.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Weston said it’s not a long-term solution, but it could still help people financially.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FOX6 News reached out to other Milwaukee County <\/a>supervisors Wednesday for their stance on the plan. Supervisor Steve Taylor said he has questions such as: Is this too good to be true, and would it be fair?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (Photo by Adam Berry\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n The resolution was heard by the ARPA Task Force <\/a>Thursday morning. The task force endorsed the proposal Thursday with a 4-1 vote. The next step is the finance committee in March and then the Milwaukee County<\/a> Board of Supervisors.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.foxtv.com\/static.fox6now.com\/www.fox6now.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/932\/524\/GettyImages-2761249-1-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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