Wayne County Wipes Out $27M in Medical Debt, Relieving Over 46,000 Residents

Image courtesy of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veteran Services Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veteran Services (HHVS) has delivered a transformative holiday gift, announcing the elimination of $27 million in medical debt for over 46,000 residents. The debt, acquired from a local hospital dedicated to supporting the community, marks a major step toward reducing financial barriers to healthcare access. Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans highlighted since the announcement of this new program in March of this year, a program designed to wipe out more than $700 million in medical debt, he is extremely pleased to see the program’s success thus far in helping so many of our residents in need. “These resources will help to eliminate the stress they have been under as they juggle how to pay for crushing hospital bills while keeping the lights on and putting food on the table at the same time,” Evans said. Undue Medical Debt, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit, specializes in purchasing sizeable medical debt portfolios at a fraction of their original cost often for mere pennies on the dollar. The organization focuses on assisting those least able to pay, including Wayne County residents whose income is...