(WXYZ) — Thousands of Wayne County residents are now living with less stress about their medical bills thanks to a recently launched program that's helping wipe out medical debt.
The Wayne County program has already eliminated around $42 million in medical debt for 71,000 residents who earn at or below four times the federal poverty level, or whose debt exceeds 5% of their income.
Canton resident Larry Turner was among those who received relief. About 11 years ago, Turner was injured after being involved in a car crash that forced him into early retirement.
"It was a very major accident and it took me out of work," Turner said.
The incident caused him to undergo several surgeries, and despite having insurance, he was left facing thousands of dollars in medical bills.
"I tried to keep up on them, but sometimes when things got tight, Cost of Living going up, you have to decide which way to go. Rent, food, bills?" Turner said.
FULL INTERVIEW: Larry Turner talks about his medical debt and the relief he received
Turner found relief after receiving a letter in the mail informing him that some of his debt had been erased.
"How did they get my name? And then they told me the process, and they just reached out. I'm glad they did, it was a blessing," Turner said.
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans emphasized the impact of medical debt beyond financial concerns.
"The stress of medical debt for people is real. Not just the financial part, but also their reluctance to be treated or to go back to a hospital because this debt is lingering," Evans said.
To make the debt relief possible, Wayne County is investing $5 million into a partnership with the organization Undue Medical Debt, which eliminates people's debt for pennies on the dollar.
"We do this by leveraging our government and philanthropic funds to acquire medical debt at scale, either from hospital systems directly or the secondary market," said Courtney Story with Undue Medical Debt.
Through the program, Wayne County hopes to erase $700 million of outstanding medical debt. Story says they are working toward that goal.
"As we work with more hospitals across the state and in the county and as we purchase additional secondary market files, additional people will experience relief," Story said.
Residents cannot apply for the program, but those who receive a letter with Undue Medical Debt branding in their mailbox can expect relief is headed their way.
Evans also addressed concerns about the legitimacy of these notices: "Is this a hoax, is this a scam? It absolutely is not."
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