Illinois Announces Over $1 Billion In Medical Debt Relief For Illinois Residents

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the State of Illinois has erased over $1.1 billion in medical debt for more than half a million Illinois residents through the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program. The announcement came ahead of Governor Pritzker’s State of the State and proposed budget address in February 2026, previewing a focus on improving affordability.

Governor Pritzker’s initiative is providing relief to hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents in all 102 counties in the state. Initial analysis demonstrates that people who have received relief had on average over $1,200 in debt eliminated — with . . .