Latest news with #UndueMedicalDebt
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Connecticut expands medical debt relief to 100,000 more residents: Who is eligible
More than 100,000 Connecticut residents will soon receive letters notifying them of medical debt relief, according to a community announcement. Gov. Ned Lamont announced May 21 that the second round of an initiative, launched last year in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, is underway. The program aims to eliminate medical debt for residents who meet specific income criteria. Undue Medical Debt negotiates with hospitals and other providers to eliminate large portfolios of qualifying medical debt. To qualify, residents must have an income at or below four times the federal poverty level or have medical debt that is 5% or more of their income. In this round, the state invested $575,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding. Undue Medical Debt was able to negotiate with a secondary market partner to acquire and eliminate more than $100 million in qualifying medical debt. The first round, which occurred in December, eliminated approximately $30 million in medical debt for 23,000 residents. Those who have been identified for relief will receive a branded envelope and letter from Undue Medical Debt in the mail over the next several days. (To view a sample of what this letter looks like, click here.) 'Medical debt causes additional anxiety and stress when individuals and families are coping with potentially life-threatening health situations,' Lamont said. 'Over the next few days, more than 100,000 Connecticut residents who have been struggling to pay their medical bills will feel relief when they receive letters in the mail notifying them that their debt has been erased. I am hopeful that additional medical partners will soon sign onto this program to help more Connecticut families through further rounds of this initiative.' Allison Sesso, CEO and president of Undue Medical Debt, expressed gratitude for the state's continued partnership in providing medical debt relief. 'The erasure of these debts of necessity wouldn't be possible without community-minded leaders like Governor Lamont and his team, who believe medical debt should not be a hindrance to seeking needed care,' Sesso said. 'We look forward to continuing our work in the state so families can seek healthcare with dignity.' State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, co-chair of the legislature's Public Health Committee, also praised the initiative. 'Medical debt can be a crippling burden on patients, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet,' Vahey said. 'Erasing medical debt for an additional 100,000 residents will greatly ease the stress they are facing and will free them up to focus on their health and well-being. Thank you to Governor Lamont and Undue Medical Debt for their leadership on this innovative program.' There is no application process for this relief, as the debt erasure occurs through the purchase of large, qualifying bundled portfolios of debt from participating partners like hospitals and collection agencies. Lamont plans to continue partnering with Undue Medical Debt for further rounds of medical debt cancellation. The governor and the Connecticut General Assembly have enacted legislation that makes $6.5 million in ARPA funding available for this initiative. This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Is your CT medical debt being erased? Check your mail this week
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Connecticut erases medical debt for 100,000 residents
Around 100,000 Connecticut residents burdened by medical debt will get letters this week wiping their slates all or partially clean, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday. Partnering for a second time with the nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt, the government mined funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to buy $100 million in debt for $575,000. In December, the state erased $30 million in debt for 23,000 residents, eventually planning to wipe out $1 billion in debt for an estimated 250,000 residents. People and families contending with 'potentially life-threatening health situations' shouldn't have to cope with the 'additional anxiety and stress' of not being able to pay for treatment, Lamont said in a statement. To qualify, household income must be at or below four times the federal poverty level, which is $32,150 for a family of four, or the debt must equal at least 5% of income. Acquired in bulk for pennies on the dollar from hospitals and collection agencies, the debt by its very nature belongs to those least able to pay, so there's no way to request or apply for the relief. More than 100 million adults in the U.S. collectively owe more than $220 billion in medical debt, according to the health care nonprofit KFF, formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation. At least 26 state and local governments so far have alleviated medical debt for some residents, following in the footsteps of Connecticut, the first state to launch a medical debt relief initiative. In the past week alone, Los Angeles County in California, Wayne County in Michigan, and the state of Rhode Island have announced similar relief. The initiative is alive and well in New York City too, with Mayor Adams last year laying out a plan to eliminate more than $2 billion in medical debt for up to 500,000 residents. With News Wire Services
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Roughly 100K Connecticut residents to see medical debt relief, Lamont says
The video above aired in December of 2024, when the first round of relief was announced. HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Gov. Ned Lamont Wednesday announced more than 100,000 residents will soon have some- or all- of their medical debt erased. The relief comes in the second round of his administration's partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, which launched in Connecticut last year. PREVIOUS: Thousands of Connecticut residents to see medical debt relief The nonprofit uses public investments to negotiate with hospitals and other providers 'on the elimination of large, bundled portfolios of qualifying medical debt owed by individuals and families whose bills are past due.' To qualify, they must have income at or below four times the federal poverty level or have medical debt that is 5% or more of their income. The current federal poverty level is an annual income of at or below $32,150 for a family of four. 'In this second round, the state invested $575,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, and Undue Medical Debt was able to negotiate with a secondary market partner to acquire and eliminate more than $100 million in qualifying medical debt,' Lamont's office said. How to get relief from unexpectedly high medical bills The first round in December included the elimination of about $30 million in medical debt for 23,000 residents, according to Lamont's office. 'Medical debt causes additional anxiety and stress when individuals and families are coping with potentially life-threatening health situations,' Lamont said in a statement. '… I am hopeful that additional medical partners will soon sign onto this program to help more Connecticut families through further rounds of this initiative.' The residents chosen for medical debt relief will get a branded envelope and letter from Undue Medical Debt in the mail sometime this week. Due to the process, residents cannot apply for this relief, Lamont's office said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
L.A. County is paying off millions in medical debt — no strings attached. Do you qualify?
Did you get a letter in the mail from the County of Los Angeles with the word "Undue" in bold blue? It's not a scam. It's a notification that your medical debt was cleared by the county. More than 134,000 Los Angeles County residents began getting notices in the mail Monday as part of the first wave of medical bill forgiveness made possible by the county's Medical Debt Relief Program. The first round of notices is expected to relieve more than $183 million in debt. The program was launched, in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, in December 2024 with the mission of providing financial relief for eligible residents by purchasing and eliminating the debt. The funds for the program were made possible by an initial $5 million investment approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors with additional funds from L.A. Care Health Plan and the L.A. County Medical Assn. The goal is to retire $500 million in medical debt for low-income residents, with plans to eliminate as much as $2 billion by seeking additional contributions from philanthropic partners, hospitals and health plans. That could mean the debt of millions of people would be wiped clean. Through this program, the county provides the funding and Undue Medical Debt acquires qualifying debts in bulk for a fraction of their face value from provider partners such as hospitals and health systems along with collection agencies. Far too many residents are "one medical bill away from fiscal catastrophe," said Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County's 2nd District supervisor. "In 2023 alone, Los Angeles County residents held over $2.9 billion in medical debt," Mitchell said. Read more: Southern California cities top credit card debt list in new study Recently analyzed data from 2023 found that 1 in 9 adults in the county are impacted by medical debt, and "many are low-income families who even with a lifetime of work may never escape it," said Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County's 4th District supervisor. Adults with medical debt burdens are two to three times more likely to be food insecure, delay or forgo necessary medical care or prescriptions and experience housing instability than those without this burden, according to the data. Furthermore, the data say, about half of adults facing medical debt took on credit card debt to pay their medical bills. "This kind of debt often gets bundled and sold to debt collectors pennies on the dollar who go mercilessly after the families and aggressively for the payment," Hahn said. The relief program comes with no strings attached, so you don't have to pay taxes on it. The "Undue" notification in the mail will list how much debt was forgiven and where the debt was owed, such as the hospital, clinic or collector that was trying to collect from you. Since notices began hitting residences Monday, keep your eye out for the letters over the next few weeks. Eligibility for the program is determined by income, family size and whether the healthcare provider that is owed the money has chosen to participate in the program. To qualify for the program you must: Be a resident of Los Angeles County. Earn less or equal to 400% of the federal poverty level or have a medical bill that is 5% or more your annual household income. For example, in 2025, the income for a family of four that is 400% of the federal poverty level is $128,000. Have eligible debt, which means you must have a bill from a hospital or clinic that is participating in the debt relief program, the bill is past due and you are not using a payment plan for the bill. Read more: L.A. County approves $4-billion sex abuse settlement, largest in U.S. history No. If you and your bill qualify for the program, Undue Medical Debt will pay off your debt and you will be notified through the mail. Your bill qualifies for the program if the debt is held by hospitals, clinics or collectors that are participating in the program. The initial participating hospitals are Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital and Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital. County supervisors are calling on other debt holders to participate. Relief cannot be requested. If you received a letter from the county's Undue Medical Debt program, get in touch with the program online. If you need help with medical bills, visit the county's Department of Public Health online list of resources for support. Potential resources include applying for free or discounted hospital services, legal advice and consumer counseling. This program is not a scam: If the county has relieved your medical debt, you'll be notified by a letter in the mail from Los Angeles County and Undue Medical Debt. The envelope will have a county seal on it. Keep the letter as part of your records that the medical debt has been forgiven. Beware of alleged debt relief scammers that contact you via text, phone call or email. And don't fall for callers asking you to provide information or payment in exchange for medical debt relief. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. County is paying off millions in medical debt — no strings attached. Do you qualify?
Did you get a letter in the mail from the County of Los Angeles with the word 'Undue' in bold blue? It's not a scam. It's a notification that your medical debt was cleared by the county. More than 134,000 Los Angeles County residents began getting notices in the mail Monday as part of the first wave of medical bill forgiveness made possible by the county's Medical Debt Relief Program. The first round of notices is expected to relieve more than $183 million in debt. The program was launched, in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, in December 2024 with the mission of providing financial relief for eligible residents by purchasing and eliminating the debt. The funds for the program were made possible by an initial $5 million investment approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors with additional funds from L.A. Care Health Plan and the L.A. County Medical Assn. The goal is to retire $500 million in medical debt for low-income residents, with plans to eliminate as much as $2 billion by seeking additional contributions from philanthropic partners, hospitals and health plans. That could mean the debt of millions of people would be wiped clean. Through this program, the county provides the funding and Undue Medical Debt acquires qualifying debts in bulk for a fraction of their face value from provider partners such as hospitals and health systems along with collection agencies. Far too many residents are 'one medical bill away from fiscal catastrophe,' said Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County's 2nd District supervisor. 'In 2023 alone, Los Angeles County residents held over $2.9 billion in medical debt,' Mitchell said. Recently analyzed data from 2023 found that 1 in 9 adults in the county are impacted by medical debt, and 'many are low-income families who even with a lifetime of work may never escape it,' said Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County's 4th District supervisor. Adults with medical debt burdens are two to three times more likely to be food insecure, delay or forgo necessary medical care or prescriptions and experience housing instability than those without this burden, according to the data. Furthermore, the data say, about half of adults facing medical debt took on credit card debt to pay their medical bills. 'This kind of debt often gets bundled and sold to debt collectors pennies on the dollar who go mercilessly after the families and aggressively for the payment,' Hahn said. The relief program comes with no strings attached, so you don't have to pay taxes on it. The 'Undue' notification in the mail will list how much debt was forgiven and where the debt was owed, such as the hospital, clinic or collector that was trying to collect from you. Since notices began hitting residences Monday, keep your eye out for the letters over the next few weeks. Eligibility for the program is determined by income, family size and whether the healthcare provider that is owed the money has chosen to participate in the program. To qualify for the program you must: No. If you and your bill qualify for the program, Undue Medical Debt will pay off your debt and you will be notified through the mail. Your bill qualifies for the program if the debt is held by hospitals, clinics or collectors that are participating in the program. The initial participating hospitals are Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital and Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital. County supervisors are calling on other debt holders to participate. Relief cannot be requested. If you received a letter from the county's Undue Medical Debt program, get in touch with the program online. If you need help with medical bills, visit the county's Department of Public Health online list of resources for support. Potential resources include applying for free or discounted hospital services, legal advice and consumer counseling. This program is not a scam: If the county has relieved your medical debt, you'll be notified by a letter in the mail from Los Angeles County and Undue Medical Debt. The envelope will have a county seal on it. Keep the letter as part of your records that the medical debt has been forgiven. Beware of alleged debt relief scammers that contact you via text, phone call or email. And don't fall for callers asking you to provide information or payment in exchange for medical debt relief.
