Economic inequality

American money

More than $6 billion in medical debt erased in North Carolina in 2025

By / / Good News For Humankind

In a historic move for economic justice, North Carolina has erased over 6.5 billion dollars in medical debt over the course of 2025, benefiting nearly 2.5 million residents. Governor Josh Stein announced the relief, which was achieved through a partnership with 60 hospitals that agreed to forgive old debt in exchange for higher Medicaid reimbursement rates. This massive initiative removes financial barriers to care, helps families repair their credit scores, and serves as a powerful national model for leveraging state policy to solve the medical debt crisis.

Marshall Islands flag

Marshall Islands launches national universal basic income

By / / Good News For Humankind

The Republic of the Marshall Islands has pioneered a new economic model with the launch of the Sovereign (SOV). This national digital currency funds a Universal Basic Income, providing citizens with quarterly payments of roughly $200 USD. Operating a dual-currency system, the scheme allows residents to receive these automatic dividends in digital SOV or instantly convert them to US dollars for daily needs. This innovative approach provides a stable financial safety net while promoting long-term economic independence.

Insulin pen

California to become U.S. first state to sell cheap insulin through state-backed program

By / / Good News For Humankind

California has achieved a major healthcare milestone by launching a groundbreaking initiative to provide affordable, state-backed insulin. The pioneering CalRx program is contracting with a generic manufacturer to produce the medication, which it will sell at near-cost prices. This action is expected to drastically lower costs for the nearly $3.2 million residents living with diabetes. By intervening in the market, the state affirms that essential, life-saving medication must be affordable, setting a powerful national precedent for health equity.

Dollar bills and pills, representing medical debt

Arizona erases $429 million in medical debt

By / / Good News For Humankind

Thousands of Arizonans now have a financial burden lifted off their shoulders, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on Wednesday. According to the Democratic governor, $429 million in medical debt has been erased for more than 352,000 Arizonans as part of a partnership between her administration and national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt. In 2024, Hobbs announced an initiative to erase $2 billion in medical debt for up to one million Arizonans.

Euro bills

Germany to raise minimum wage from €12.82 to €14.60 by 2027

By / / Good News For Humankind

The wage increase will take place in two stages. First, it will be increased from €12.82 per hour to €13.90 at the beginning of 2026. It will then increase again by €0.70 a year later. This means German workers would typically earn close to €2,500, making it the second-highest minimum wage in the European Union after Luxembourg, which mandates a monthly minimum of €2,638.

child and autumn leaves

Tokyo to make daycare free for all preschool children

By / / Good news links

The world’s most populous city plans to make daycare free for all preschool children starting in September, the city governor has announced. The move aims to reduce the financial burden on families by expanding a policy of free daycare for second-born and subsequent children to first-borns as well. While many developed countries are struggling with low birth rates, the problem is particularly acute in Japan where the population has been declining for years.

MIT building

MIT will make tuition free for families earning less than $200,000 a year

By / / Good news links

Families making under $100,000 will not have to pay housing, dining or other fees, and they’ll have an allowance for books and other personal expenses. Families who make Families of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) making under $100,000 will not have to pay housing, dining, or other fees, and they’ll have an allowance for books and other personal expenses. Families who make more than $200,000 a year can still receive need-based financial aid. Tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year at MIT is nearly $62,000. Housing, dining, and other fees can add up to another $24,000 annually, making it an enormous burden for families or forcing students to go into decades of debt.

Australian money

Australia to slash $10 billion off student debt amid cost of living pressures

By / / Good news links

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that his government plans to cut student loans for around three million Australians by 20%, wiping off around $10 billion USD in debts. The move builds on May’s budget, which attacked cost of living pressures in Australia and gave debt relief for students, as well as more investment to make medicines cheaper, and a boost to a rent assistance program. The changes would mean the average graduate with a loan of A$27,600 would have A$5,520 wiped, the government said, adding that they would take effect from June 1, 2025.

Doctor with Red Ribbon for December World Aids Day

Biden administration adds injectable PrEP requirement for insurance providers

By / / Good news links

The Biden-Harris administration has announced a new requirement for insurance providers to cover injectable PrEP in their policies without a co-payment for consumers. The new rule, built on previous guidance for the Affordable Care Act, also applies to increased choice in contraception. The Biden-Harris administration announced Monday a new requirement for insurance providers to cover injectable PrEP in their policies without a co-payment for consumers. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, was first approved by the FDA in 2012 to prevent people exposed to HIV from becoming infected with the virus. Truvada in pill form was the first prescriptive PrEP to hit the market, followed by Descovy. The injectable PrEP Apretude was approved in 2021.

American money

Biden forgives more student loans: 60,000 borrowers will get notices canceling $4.5 billion in debt

By / / Good news links

The Biden administration has forgiven another $4.5 billion in student debt for more than 60,000 borrowers. The latest round of relief is a result of the U.S. Department of Education’s fixes to the popular, but once-troubled, Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. President Biden, who has forgiven more education debt than any other president in U.S history, said that the number of borrowers to benefit from the program under his administration now exceeded 1 million.