For thousands of Massachusetts residents, a letter in the mailbox could bring something unexpected: relief from medical debt.

A nonprofit partnership is eliminating more than $38 million in unpaid medical bills for 69,527 residents, primarily across Eastern Massachusetts.

The latest round includes 2,523 Suffolk County residents, whose combined debt relief totals approximately $1.07 million.

Suffolk County includes Chelsea, Boston, Revere, and Winthrop, making the announcement especially relevant to families throughout the area.

And there's an important detail: People selected for this program do not have to apply or pay anything.

How the Program Works

The relief comes through a partnership involving the Atrius Health Equity Foundation, the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, healthcare providers, and other organizations.

Rather than asking individuals to submit applications, Undue Medical Debt works with hospitals, collection agencies, and other partners to acquire large groups of unpaid medical bills.

The organization then identifies eligible accounts and eliminates the debt.

According to the Atrius Health Equity Foundation's October 22 announcement, recipients were expected to begin receiving notification letters during the week of October 26.

Those letters come from Undue Medical Debt and explain which bills have been erased.

Eligible debt is canceled automatically. Recipients do not need to make a payment, complete an application, or take additional action.

When applicable, related negative credit-report entries are also removed.

Who Qualifies?

The initiative focuses on people facing financial hardship from medical expenses.

To qualify, individuals generally must have medical debt equal to at least 5% of their annual income or household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

For the announced program, that income threshold is $63,840 for an individual or $132,000 for a family of four.

But meeting those guidelines does not guarantee relief.

The medical debt must also be included in an account portfolio available through the organization's partnerships.

That means someone cannot request that a particular hospital bill be added to the program.

The foundation's medical-debt initiative page explains how debts are selected and why individual applications are not accepted.

What the Numbers Show

The current round covers debts ranging from $5 to approximately $86,000 per recipient.

Essex County accounts for the largest share, with $18.6 million being erased for 34,369 residents.

Middlesex County follows with $16.7 million in relief for 28,756 people.

In Suffolk County, 2,523 people are receiving a combined $1.07 million in relief.

The foundation did not release a city-by-city breakdown, so the number of Chelsea residents receiving assistance is unknown.

Since the partnership began in 2024, it has eliminated more than $293 million in medical debt.

That represents a substantial reduction in unpaid medical bills for families across Massachusetts.

What Residents Should Know

If you receive an official Undue Medical Debt notification, read it carefully to understand which accounts have been eliminated.

Only the debts identified in the letter are covered. Other outstanding medical bills are not automatically forgiven.

Residents should also be cautious of anyone offering to arrange this particular debt relief in exchange for a fee.

There is no application process, and qualifying recipients are not charged.

People struggling with medical bills who have not received a letter still have options.

Health Law Advocates offers legal assistance to eligible Massachusetts residents dealing with medical billing problems, insurance disputes, and unfair collection practices.

The Massachusetts Legal Help guide to medical bills and debt also explains financial-assistance programs, payment plans, and consumer protections.

Closer to home, the Atrius Health Equity Foundation identifies Chelsea-based The Neighborhood Developers and its CONNECT program as partners helping residents address medical-debt challenges through financial coaching and referrals.

For many families, medical debt can linger long after treatment ends, creating financial stress and making future care harder to afford.

This latest round of relief offers thousands of Massachusetts residents an opportunity to move forward without some or all of that burden.