Connecticut
Connecticut Will Cancel $650 Million in Medical Debt
Connecticut reportedly plans to cancel $650 million in medical debt for its residents.
This relief will impact around 250,000 people and will make Connecticut the first state in the country to undertake such an effort, CNN reported Friday (Feb. 2).
The goal is to free residents from “the cloud” over their heads and give them more freedom to buy a home, start a business or continue with their education, Gov. Ned Lamont told CNN.
“It’s a debt that you had no control over,” Lamont said. “It’s not like you overspent. You get hit by a healthcare calamity.”
According to the report, people whose medical debt equals 5% or more of their yearly income or whose household income is up to 400% of the federal poverty line — about $125,000 in 2024 — are eligible for the relief.
Qualified residents won’t need to apply, the report said, as they will get letters in the mail saying their debt has been eliminated, with those letters expected to go out as soon as this summer. The CNN report noted that more than 10% of Connecticut residents have medical debt in collections.
The program will use $6.5 million in COVID-19 funds from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to cover the debt, working with a nonprofit group that purchases medical debt from hospitals and eliminates it for much lower than what the patient owed.
Connecticut’s efforts come at a time when many Americans are being pestered by collection agencies over their medical debt, in many cases for bills they don’t even owe, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), said last year.
The bureau said 15% of the complaints the bureau received in 2022 dealt with debt collectors trying to settle an allegedly unpaid medical bill.
“Tens of millions of people are pursued by debt collectors for medical bills, and today’s report highlights the problem of the collection of medical bills that are inaccurate or not owed,” the bureau said in a news release. “The CFPB has previously described the significant evidence, including reports from consumers themselves, that the collection, furnishing, and reporting of medical bills is plagued by inaccuracies.”
Meanwhile, research by PYMNTS Intelligence finds that a majority of consumers want more ease in paying the medical bills they do owe.
The report “Healthcare In The Digital Age: Consumers See Unified Platforms As Key To Better Health,” created in collaboration with Lynx, found that among the consumers who wanted a single digital platform to manage all of their healthcare activities, 79% wanted a feature that let them pay all types of medical bills.
Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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