If you have past due medical bills in Los Angeles County, keep an eye on your mailbox over the next week. The county’s first wave of medical debt payoffs has started.
Beginning May 19, notices will be mailed to nearly 135,000 residents who have had a bill abolished under the relief program. Since the debt is paid off for pennies on the dollar, just over $1 million in county funds will eliminate $183.5 million of debt, said Supervisor Janice Hahn.
About the payoffs
The payments come from the county’s medical debt relief program that launched last year with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt.
While selected residents don’t need to take any action to get the relief, the county wants to make sure people don’t accidentally toss out the notification or think it’s a scam.
“ This isn’t kind of an opt-in,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell. “There’s no application. It is a real notification that we are taking care of your medical debt.”
The letter asks residents to confirm they’ve received it by following an included link online. And this will be the only notice you’ll receive — the county won’t call, text or email you about the relief.
If your debt is picked, you’ll get a letter in the mail from “L.A. County and Undue Medical Debt.” The envelope will have the county seal on it. Inside, the letter will explain what debt was abolished and answer some common questions about the relief.
Here’s an example of what the English and Spanish letters will look like (see more languages here):
Sample letters for L.A. County’s medical debt relief program
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