97,000 CT residents to learn part or all of their medical debt has been erased
If you have medical debt, you might receive a letter this week stating it’s been erased.
It’s part of a program Connecticut signed up for two years ago. In total, a quarter of a million people have received help.
In the fourth round of relief, about 97,000 people will get this letter starting the first week of June.
To qualify, your medical debt must be 5% or more of your annual income, or your income must be at or below four times the federal poverty level, which is $33,000 a year for a family of four.
Dr. Traci Marquis-Eydman, a doctor of family medicine with Hartford Healthcare and the director of the Quinnipiac Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, said having thousands of dollars in debt can be a barrier to going to the hospital or seeing a doctor when you’re in need.
“You have so much money in your pot, so to speak, and you have to divide it amongst different obligations and expenses, and for some, whose out-of-pocket costs for healthcare are so huge, they have to make very difficult decisions,” she said. “We see this in rural America, rural Connecticut, that patients are making those decisions all the time.”
The money used to erase the debt comes from a partnership between the state and Undue Medical Debt, a national nonprofit.
They use donations and state funds, which have invested $6.5 million in COVID-19 relief, to buy past-due medical debt.
Because that debt belongs to those least able to pay and is bought in bulk, Undue Medical Debt can buy it at a much lower price, often pennies on the dollar, according to the state.
The program is expected to continue through the end of the year.
“I was happy to have supported the legislation a few years ago,” Rep. Kevin Brown (D), Vernon, said. “I’m glad that the governor is continuing to commit to this. I want to make sure that folks are able to feel comfortable that they can go to the doctor and not have to worry about that medical debt as much as they might have before.”
If you think you qualify, you don’t need to apply or request relief. A letter in the mail will tell you if you’re getting help. The letter will also include how much of your medical debt has been erased.
This is a sample of the letter that will be sent out:
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