Fulton County will think about using some funds to help pay down residents’ medical debt, county commissioners decided Wednesday.
But what funds to use, how much to spend and on whom remain to be decided. That’s part of what county staff will study and report back to commissioners.
Commission Chair Robb Pitts brought up the idea, which he said has been done in Cleveland, Detroit, New Orleans and elsewhere. Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young helped eliminate $1 million in medical debt, Pitts said, by donating $10,000 to a foundation that partnered with nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, which ultimately paid off debts that originally totaled $1 million.
Pitts proposed using federal American Rescue Plan Act to pay the debts of “qualifying citizens.” But county Chief Financial Officer Sharon Whitmore said all the county’s ARPA funds have been committed. Some of that might be unspent, but Pitts widened his proposal to “ARPA or any other funding, including (the county’s) General Fund.”
Most commissioners backed the idea. Commissioner Dana Barrett said she struggled with medical debt herself. But she and others had questions, such as how much total debt is out there and how many Fulton residents are affected.
Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said she often hears from constituents who are prevented from getting housing or jobs by medical debts on their record.
Commissioner Bob Ellis said it’s an “interesting concept,” but that the root cause is the high cost of care. Government should work on policies to reduce up-front costs instead of the short-term fix of paying existing debts, he said.
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