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Oct 16, 2024

NJ wipes out another $120M in medical debt for 77,000 residents

TRENTON – About 77,000 New Jersey individuals and families will have some or all of their medical debt eliminated, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Tuesday, in a second-round of a partnership launched in

TRENTON – About 77,000 New Jersey individuals and families will have some or all of their medical debt eliminated, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Tuesday, in a second-round of a partnership launched in August.

Along with the non-profit Undue Medical Debt, the state used about $900,000 in federal American Rescue Plan funds to buy up a total of $120 million in past-due medical debt in New Jersey.

Instead of trying to collect, Undue erases the debt, this time as identified by Atlantic Health System.

Coupled with the first massive round of debt forgiveness announced in August — $220 million in medical debt has now been eliminated for 127,000 NJ residents, so far.

Undue works directly with hospital systems to buy large, bundled portfolios of past-due medical debt belonging to those least able to pay for pennies on the dollar.

Those whose debt was bought up would receive an Undue branded letter in the mail beginning Oct.17.

Of the 50,000 New Jersey residents whose collective $100 million in debt was wiped out in August, a number shared in writing the relief they experienced.

“Like many families throughout the United States, I worked a job for 25+ years that did not offer health benefits. I often had to make a strategic decision about whether my illness or injuries were worth visiting the hospitals or doctor for. Living off of minimum wage, taking care of my ailing mother, paying rent and other expenses — it was just impossible for me to pay my hospital bills.

Even with expensive health insurance, high co-pays make it difficult for many American families to [afford care]. Thank you, Undue, for relieving me of this burden. For once, [I felt] great joy finally receiving some good news in the mail!” said Antoinette from Jackson.

“Thank you for helping. I lost my job and then got terribly sick. I couldn't afford medication, couldn't afford to pay rent and my bills were coming in back-to-back. I'm trying to get my financial situation back together and this really does help me. Thank you,” said Angela from Dover.

“When I received my letter [notifying] me that my medical expenses were covered, I felt so blessed and happy. I'm a single mom; I had to take a leave of absence so that I could have surgery and I have no way to pay my medical bills. I work so hard in this country, but it is really difficult to [pay] for my house and bills without any assistance. Thank you so much, Governor Phil Murphy,” said Brunilda from Newark.

This is a one-time abolishment, according to the governor’s office, to help remove the financial and emotional burden of unpayable medical debts.

There was no application process for this medical debt relief.

Instead, those who qualified were either four times or below the federal poverty level or had medical debts that equal 5% or more of their annual income.

According to Undue, over 100 million people in the U.S. struggle with medical debt, owing a collective $195 billion in past-due medical expenses.

This year, Murphy signed into law the Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act, which protects residents against predatory medical debt collectors, and bans the reporting of medical debt to credit reporting agencies.

New Jersey has become one of just five states that both prohibits medical debt reporting to credit agencies and has allocated funding to provide residents with direct medical debt relief.

Announcing this second wave of relief, Murphy sat down with Andrew Rose Gregory, who lost his wife, Casey, to ovarian cancer nearly a year ago.

The couple — who shared a young daughter — independently partnered with Undue and raised $1.1 million to help eliminate medical debt for others, as a powerful memorial to Casey McIntyre.

“As Casey and I prepared for her to die in home hospice, we decided that after her death we would raise money to forgive others' medical debt in her honor,” Gregory said in a written release.

He continued, “We were keenly aware of how lucky we were that our finances hadn't been demolished by America's health care system during Casey's long and arduous treatment. Casey's corporate insurance through her work as a publisher at Penguin Random House had been our shield. But we had met so many other patients and families that were not so lucky as us, and had gone into debt or even denied care because of a lack of insurance.”

"Investing in affordable and accessible health care allows residents to prioritize their well-being without having to take on the significant burdens of medical debt, which has long served as a debilitating barrier to receiving the life-saving care and services they deserve," Murphy said in the same joint release.

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Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

Gallery Credit: Bankrate/New Jersey 101.5