More than 140,000 Massachusetts residents are having medical debt partially paid or completely wiped out through a nonprofit initiative that will eliminate over $100 million in unpaid healthcare bills.
Atrius Health Equity Foundation is teaming up with Undue Medical Debt and the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association to erase $170 million in unpaid medical debt in the Bay State, reports The Sun.
According to the organizations, letters began arriving in mailboxes around July 7th, notifying eligible residents that some or all of their outstanding medical debt would be paid off.
The initiative is the largest medical debt cancellation effort ever carried out in Massachusetts.
Individual debt forgiveness ranges from about $50 to as much as $450,000, and recipients do not need to submit an application or take any additional steps to receive the relief.
The organizations say they identified eligible residents using financial criteria rather than an application process.
The program primarily targets low- and moderate-income residents in Eastern Massachusetts.
Eligibility included people with household incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, which stands at $63,840 for a single individual or $132,000 for a household of four. The initiative also included people with medical debt equal to at least 5% of their annual income.
About 85% of those receiving relief live in Essex and Middlesex counties, with the average amount of canceled debt totaling about $1,227.
Says Dr. Ann Hwang, president of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation,
“Our goal at the Foundation is to help close the gap in life expectancy across Eastern Massachusetts, and medical debt keeps people from getting the care they need. This announcement has real-world impact for the patients and families affected, and we hope for expanded partnerships to promote the health and well-being of communities across Eastern Massachusetts.”
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