Lexington’s partnership with the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt began in 2024, and since then two rounds of notices have been sent to residents selected to have medical debt abolished.
“The first wave was something over $12 million and the second wave was a little bit over $5 million, together totaling over $18 million of debt wiped,” Anabel Peterman, an Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow with CivicLex and Next City, reported in March.
Undue Medical Debt purchases medical debt from hospitals and debt collectors at a discount and pays off that debt for individuals it identifies as experiencing hardship. The city joined with the group, allotting $1 million in city funds with the goal of wiping…