Wesley Yin, associate professor of public policy and management, was cited in an article by NOLA News about an initiative in New Orleans to erase $130 million in medical debt held by the city’s residents. The New Orleans City Council voted last year to allocate funds to a New York-based nonprofit that purchases medical debt on secondary markets, then forgives it. Yin, who is working with the nonprofit to observe the effects of debt forgiveness, said that eliminating newer debt is potentially more impactful than eliminating older debt. He also said there are limits to what providers can do to curb the effects of patient debt. “The problem of debt is something that’s beyond what a hospital really controls, and a much larger problem about inequality and financing in health care systems,” Yin said. “The best place to do this is prevention, and just have more generous health insurance to begin with.”