About 70,000 Eastern Massachusetts residents will begin receiving notices that some or all of their past-due medical bills have been cleared as part of the nonprofit Atrius Health Foundation's efforts to reduce the strain of medical debt amid current financial pressures.
The Foundation said in a news release this week that the most recent payments will clear about $38 million in medical debt as part of a program that it said has erased more than $293 million in debt since 2024.
The debt erasure is designed for primarily low- and moderate-income residents who have medical debt that is 5 percent or more of their annual income or earn at or below four times the federal poverty limit of $63,840 per year for an individual and $132,000 for a family of four.
The Foundation said eligible medical debt will automatically be eliminated for those who qualify, no strings attached, with negative credit score marks removed, if relevant.
There is no guarantee of future debt relief, and only the debts acknowledged in the letter are erased.
Patients receiving the letters do not need to take any action.
Those chosen are done so through information available from a partnership provider or collection agency. There is no application process, and the debt relief cannot be requested.
"Medical debt not only impacts families' long-term financial future, but also makes people reluctant to seek care," said Dr. Ann Hwang, president of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation. "Our hope is that the patients and families across Eastern Massachusetts aided by this debt relief can move forward without this burden."
The Foundation said the debt relief was made possible through a partnership between it and the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, and a blend of health providers and secondary market partners in Massachusetts.
"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," shares Undue Medical Debt CEO and President Allison Sesso. "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."
Patients will receive Undue Medical Debt-branded envelopes in the mail starting next week, notifying them that some or all of their medical debt is being erased.
The Foundation said eligible residents include 346 in Barnstable County, 664 in Bristol County, 34,369 in Essex County, 28,756 in Middlesex County, 1,665 in Norfolk County, 1,200 in Plymouth County and 2,523 in Suffolk County.
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