Nearly 70,000 Massachusetts residents will start getting letters next week saying some or all of their medical debt has been erased. The Atrius Health Equity Foundation announced on Thursday, October 22, 2026, that more than $38 million in medical debt held by 69,527 people in eastern Massachusetts will be wiped out, State House News Service reported in stories carried by the Boston Herald and CommonWealth Beacon. If you get one of these letters, here is what it means, why you did not have to apply, and how to tell it from a scam.
Who is getting relief
- The program. The relief comes from a partnership of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation, the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, and the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association. With this round, it has erased nearly $300 million in medical debt since it began, according to the foundation as reported by SHNS. In June, GBH reported a $170 million round covering about 140,000 residents.
- The amounts. Individual relief in this round ranges from $5 to $86,000.
- Who qualifies. The relief goes to people whose medical debt is at least 5 percent of their annual income, or who earn at or below four times the federal poverty level, which SHNS put at $63,840 for one person.
- No application. The foundation says “eligible medical debt will automatically be eliminated for those who qualify, no strings attached, with negative credit score marks removed, if relevant.” Undue Medical Debt says on its website that it “cannot abolish medical debt for specific individuals.” It buys large bundled portfolios of debt that hospitals and physicians are willing to sell and erases them. GBH has reported that it buys the debt for a fraction of its value.
What the letter looks like
Recipients will get Undue Medical Debt-branded envelopes beginning next week, according to the foundation. You do not need to do anything to receive the relief. The debt has been bought and canceled, so the hospital, provider or collector should not keep billing you for those accounts.
How to avoid a scam
Because the relief is automatic, a few warning signs are easy to spot:
- Nobody should ask you to pay. There is no fee to receive relief from this program. A call, text or email asking for a payment, a card number or bank information to “release” or “process” your debt relief should be treated as a scam.
- There is nothing to apply for. Undue says people cannot apply for this kind of relief. Anyone offering to sign you up is not part of the program.
- Check directly. If you are unsure whether a letter is real, contact Undue Medical Debt through the contact information on its own website rather than a phone number in a message you were sent, or call the provider you owed and ask about the account balance.
If you are still being billed for debt your letter says was erased, keep the letter and ask the provider or collector in writing to confirm the account is closed. The Attorney General’s office takes consumer complaints about debt collection.
Medical debt and your credit report
Apart from this program, the Department of Public Health has pending regulations that would bar licensed health care facilities and providers from reporting medical debt to consumer credit agencies, SHNS reported. Some debt collectors and providers oppose the rules and say they could make credit reports less accurate and strain smaller practices. The regulations have not been finalized.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Undue Medical Debt letter real?
Undue Medical Debt is a national nonprofit working with the Atrius Health Equity Foundation and the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association. The foundation said recipients would begin getting Undue-branded envelopes in late October 2026. A real letter will not ask you for money.
Can I apply to have my medical debt erased?
No. Undue buys bundled portfolios of debt from hospitals and other providers and erases the accounts in them. It cannot pick specific individuals, and there is no application.
Who qualifies for medical debt relief in Massachusetts?
This round targets people in eastern Massachusetts whose medical debt is at least 5 percent of their income or who earn at or below four times the federal poverty level, $63,840 for one person. Only debts in the portfolios Undue buys are covered.
Will erased medical debt come off my credit report?
The foundation says negative credit marks will be removed “if relevant.” Check your credit reports after you receive the letter, and dispute any entry for a canceled account that still appears.
Sources: State House News Service, as published by the Boston Herald and CommonWealth Beacon, October 22, 2026; GBH News, June 25, 2026; Undue Medical Debt website FAQ. General information, not legal or financial advice.