NEARLY 70,000 LOW- and middle-income Massachusetts residents will see part or all of their medical debt erased starting next week, the Atrius Health Equity Foundation said Thursday.
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More than $38 million in debt relief will be distributed to 69,527 people in eastern Mass. through a partnership involving the foundation, the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt and the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association. Relief will range from $5 to $86,000, and the latest tranche of support brings the partnership’s medical debt erasure total to nearly $300 million since it started in 2024.
“For too many patients, an unexpected illness or medical emergency can create financial hardship that lasts long after they leave the hospital, ER or doctor’s office,” Undue Medical Debt CEO Allison Sesso said. “Eliminating medical debt gives people a meaningful fresh start and ensures that getting the care they need doesn’t come at the cost of their economic security and mental health.”
Pending regulations from the Department of Public Health would block licensed health care facilities and providers from reporting medical debt to consumer credit agencies. Some debt collectors and health care providers oppose the rules, saying they could undermine the accuracy of credit reports and add financial strain to smaller practices.
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Residents next week will begin receiving Undue Medical Debt branded envelopes alerting them to the relief. The foundation says there’s no application for the relief and that “eligible medical debt will automatically be eliminated for those who qualify, no strings attached, with negative credit score marks removed, if relevant.”
The support is provided to individuals whose medical debt is at least 5 percent of their annual income or who earn at or below four times the federal poverty level ($63,840 per person).
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