PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ellen Fleming
617-640-2101
Unprecedented $170 Million in Medical Debt Erased for More Than 140,000 Massachusetts Residents Through Unique, Non-profit Partnership
Atrius Health Equity Foundation, Undue Medical Debt, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, Announce Largest Relief Effort To Date
BOSTON – More than 140,000 Massachusetts residents are receiving a total of more than $170 million in direct medical debt relief – the largest ever Massachusetts debt relief effort to date, under a unique nonprofit partnership created by the Atrius Health Equity Foundation.
Patients, primarily low- and moderate-income residents in Eastern Massachusetts, will receive medical debt erasure between $50 and $450,000 under the abolishment.
“This announcement is a pivotal point in our efforts to eliminate medical debt. 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,” said Dr. Ann Hwang, president of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation. “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.”
Patients will receive Undue Medical Debt branded envelopes in the mail starting around July 7 notifying them that some or all of their medical debt is being erased. The debt relief was made possible by a partnership between the Foundation, the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, and a blend of health providers and secondary market partners in Massachusetts.
“Nobody should avoid getting the care they need because of fear of financial ruin. By relieving medical debts, we are encouraging the return to care. That’s why we are so excited about our partnership with the Atrius Health Equity Foundation to erase medical debt for tens of thousands of families in Massachusetts,” shares Undue Medical Debt CEO and president, Allison Sesso. “This extraordinary abolishment amount will change lives, providing financial and emotional relief, and support re-engagement with the health system. We look forward to continued work with this coalition, and provider partners around the country, who share our mission of eliminating barriers to care.”
“Our healthcare providers see first-hand how medical debt impacts the patients in their care, and they are determined to be a proactive part of the solution,” said Steve Walsh, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. “These partnerships are critical in ensuring patients are empowered to move forward in their lives and seek the care that they and their families need. We are grateful for the leadership and collaboration of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation and Undue Medical Debt as these efforts continue across Massachusetts.”
“At TND, our team works with people who have done everything right and still find themselves overwhelmed by medical debt. A single bill, coverage gap, or insurance issue can follow someone for years and create constant stress for families already stretching every dollar,” said Rafael Mares, Executive Director of The Neighborhood Developers, an organization partnering with the Foundation on advocacy for consumers facing medical debt. Medical debt relief matters because it gives people room to breathe again. It allows families to focus on their health, their housing, and their future instead of a debt they may never have been able to repay.”
A total of 140,080 low- and middle-income residents will receive debt relief under this phase of abolishment. They will include 60,733 residents of Essex County ($71 million), 58,092 from Middlesex County ($74 million), 8,967 from Suffolk County ($11 million), and 4,646 from Norfolk County ($6 million). Additional recipients are from Plymouth, Barnstable, Bristol, and Dukes County. The average debt per recipient is $1,226.73.
This relief brings the total amount of debt abolished through this partnership to over $255 million. Medical debt relief is part of the Foundation’s larger strategy to address the burden of medical debt through policy solutions as well as legal and advocacy representation for consumers facing medical debt.
There is no application process for debt relief, and it cannot be requested. Patients are automatically selected if they meet certain income criteria. Patients receiving the letters do not need to take any action, as the eligible medical debt will automatically be eliminated for those who qualify, no strings attached. There is no guarantee of future debt relief, and only the debts acknowledged in the letter are erased. “It was like a breath of fresh air to open that letter. I'd been paying down my medical debt by $25 a month, and sometimes it feels like everything is ganging up on you,” shared Scott Johnson, a patient who had $1,000 in medical debt relieved. “Knowing that debt was relieved made me happy, and honestly, it's made me more likely to keep pushing forward when it comes to my healthcare. Undue Medical Debt is doing remarkable work — thank you sincerely."
Undue Medical Debt works with partners like hospitals, health systems, and physicians’ groups to purchase past due medical debts in large portfolios for pennies on the dollar and then erases the debt belonging to those least able to pay. Medical debt is acquired after providers make good faith efforts to collect. Debt is also sourced from debt buyers and collection agencies.
The debt relief is available for those who have medical debt that is 5% or more of their annual income or earn at or below four times the federal poverty level ($63,840 per year for an individual person and $132,000 per year for a family of four).
The announcement comes as the Commonwealth and its healthcare providers respond to a series of mounting pressures facing local patients and hospitals.
Recent state data reveal that Massachusetts is not immune to national trends when it comes to the burdens of medical debt. One in eight Massachusetts residents hold medical debt, placing significant strains on people’s financial health and overall wellbeing. Medical debt is experienced disproportionately within lower-income households and communities of color.
Massachusetts’ #1-ranked healthcare system (including for access and cost) is preparing for as many as 300,000 patients to have their insurance coverage impacted due to recent federal policy changes.
Recent polling from Undue finds that voters say healthcare providers (85%) and hospitals (78%) are who they trust most to look after their best interests. Respondents share that the hardest part of having medical debt is the mental stress and anxiety (57%).
About Atrius Health Equity Foundation:
The Atrius Health Equity Foundation was established in 2022 and aims to close the gap in life expectancy in Eastern Massachusetts. Learn more about the Foundation at www.atriusfoundation.org.
About Undue Medical Debt:
Undue Medical Debt was founded in 2014 and has since erased over $40 billion of medical debt for over 27 million families across the U.S. Learn more about Undue at www.unduemedicaldebt.org/.
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Photography: EmVision Productions
