(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that more than 97,000 Connecticut residents can anticipate receiving letters in the mail starting the week of June 1, 2026, informing them that some or all of their medical debt has been erased under an initiative the Lamont administration launched in partnership with the national nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt to give relief to qualifying residents who are having difficulties paying outstanding medical bills.
This fourth round of the initiative is eliminating nearly $315 million in medical debt. In total, more than 252,000 Connecticut residents who’ve been struggling with medical bills have had more than $513 million in medical debt cancelled since the initiative began in 2024.
“Medical debt is a burden carried by families in every Connecticut community, but it disproportionately affects working-class families,” Governor Lamont said. “While the Trump administration continues to ignore patients’ plight by gutting essential medical programs, including Medicaid, FQHCs, and Planned Parenthood, tax credits and subsidies for the Exchange, Connecticut is taking an active role in wiping out medical debt. On behalf of everyone whose unbearable weight of medical debt has been relieved, thank you to the hospitals, doctors, and other providers who have partnered with Undue Medical Debt. Your efforts have changed lives.”
Under the initiative, Undue Medical Debt leverages investments from the state to negotiate with hospitals and other providers on the elimination of large, bundled portfolios of qualifying medical debt owed by Connecticut patients. Those who are eligible must have income at or below four times (400%) the federal poverty level or have medical debt that is 5% or more of their income. (The current federal poverty level is an annual income at or below $33,000 for a family of four.) Since these medical debts are acquired in bulk and belong to those least able to pay, they cost a fraction of their face value, often pennies on the dollar.
Connecticut residents who have had some or all of their medical debt cancelled will receive an Undue Medical Debt branded envelope with the state seal, containing a letter from Undue Medical Debt in the mail over the next several days. (To view a sample of what this letter looks like, click here.)
Because this debt erasure occurs through the purchase of large, qualifying bundled portfolios of debt from participating partners such as hospitals and collection agencies, there is no application process for this relief and it cannot be requested.
“Nobody should go broke just because they got sick, but our healthcare system too often leaves families on the hook for bills they simply can’t pay,” Allison Sesso, president and CEO of Undue Medical Debt, said. “That’s exactly why partnerships like this one matter so much. With more than 252,000 people helped and over $513 million in medical debt erased since this initiative began, we’re providing immediate, tangible relief to thousands of families. We’re grateful to Governor Lamont for his continued leadership and hope this relief encourages recipients to re-engage with the healthcare system. We look forward to helping even more Connecticut families get the care they need without fear of financial ruin.”
The first round of the debt relief in December 2024 erased approximately $30 million in medical debt for approximately 23,000 people; the second round in May 2025 erased more than $100 million in medical debt for approximately 100,000 people; and the third round in December 2025 erased more than $63 million for approximately 40,000 people.
Governor Lamont will continue partnering with Undue Medical Debt this year to cancel additional medical debt. The governor and the Connecticut General Assembly enacted legislation that makes $6.5 million in ARPA funding available for this initiative through 2026.
