Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Hawaii program

Possible future medical debt relief (Hawaii debt program)

Hawaii has authorized a program to buy and forgive eligible medical debt, with first relief expected around mid-2027.

What it is

Hawaii has authorized a program to buy and forgive eligible medical debt, with first relief expected around mid-2027.

A future debt purchase could clear some eligible bills, but it does not resolve a bill due during treatment. The Office of Wellness and Resilience expects first forgiveness around mid-2027. The law allows the program if funding is available.

Eligibility rules
  • All three tests apply: income at or below 400% of Hawaii’s poverty guideline, adjusted gross income under $100,000, and medical debt at least 5% of household income.
  • The law authorizes a program subject to funding; an income match does not guarantee an account will be purchased.
What you get
  • Forgiveness of selected eligible medical debts if the funded program purchases them.
  • A mailed notice for selected accounts, without an application from the family.
What the help covers
  • The program would acquire debt and forgive the purchased accounts. It is separate from the hospital’s own financial-assistance policy.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the hospital financial counselor what financial assistance applies to the bill you have.
  2. If a debt-relief letter arrives, review which account it names and ask the office about anything unclear.

Hawaii Office of Wellness and Resilience medical debt program. · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • Selected accounts receive a mailed notice. Families do not submit a debt-purchase application.
  • The state has set aside a small first fund and expects the first debts to be forgiven around mid-2027. It picks accounts from the hospitals' books; there is nothing for a family to apply for.
Good to know

An expected future program does not pause current bills, collections or court deadlines.

Other details
  • Future debt forgiveness does not stop current bills or court deadlines. Hospital assistance can restrict extraordinary collection actions during its application process. The hospital or legal adviser confirms whether a specific collection step is paused; a billing discussion does not pause a court response date.
  • A collection agency cannot add its own fees to a medical debt, and interest is usually limited to 10% a year. A legal-aid lawyer can check any bill that claims more.
  • Federal nonprofit-hospital rules generally include 120-day initial protection from extraordinary collection actions and a 240-day assistance-application period from the first post-discharge bill. Section 501(r) conditions apply. These rules do not promise a pause on every statement, collection contact or assistance appeal.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“We heard Hawaii may start forgiving medical debt next year. Is that something that could reach our bills, and what should we do about the bill we have now?”

Why I’m asking: I need a plan for the bill we have, even if future debt forgiveness never reaches it.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Nothing to file. Keep paying what you must.

Your social worker

The hospital financial counsellor handles the bill that exists today.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Office of Wellness and Resilience.
Ask the billing office
“I know the state has a medical debt programme starting later. What can this hospital do about this bill now, under its own financial assistance policy?”

How to apply

First step: Go to the hospital’s financial assistance today. This one needs nothing from you.

  1. Do not stop paying bills waiting for this.
  2. Ask the hospital about its own financial assistance now, which is the thing that works this month.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Nothing to file. Keep paying what you must and watch for a letter.

What to gather

  • Your outstanding hospital bills
  • last year’s tax return

How long: The office expects the first relief around the middle of 2027.

What a yes looks like

A letter telling you an account has been bought and forgiven.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Nothing arrives. Treat the hospital’s own policy as the route that matters.

Watch out

  • Nothing happens this month. Do not stop paying bills waiting for it.
  • The office says the law requires the programme; the signed Act says the office may run it if there is money.
  • All three tests have to be met together, not one of them.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Medical debt bought and forgiven for households at or under 400 per cent of the Hawaii poverty guideline, with income under $100,000 and debt of at least 5 per cent of income. First relief expected around mid-2027.

  • $400 — Income ceiling, as a share of the Hawaii poverty guideline
  • $100,000/year — Adjusted gross income ceiling
  • $5 — Minimum debt as a share of household income

Legal protection: No application to make and no form to miss: selected accounts are notified by post

What it costs the family: Nothing.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
at or below 400 per cent of the Hawaii poverty guideline
Agi
under $100,000
Debt
at least 5 per cent of household income
Application
none; selected accounts receive a mailed notice
Timing
the office expects the first forgiveness around the middle of 2027

The trap: The office describes the law as requiring the programme; the signed Act says the office may run it, subject to available funds. The Act is the stronger source. The office also says plainly: do not stop making required payments or ignore your bills.

Where I read this

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