LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Over 46,000 Wayne County residents are seeing their medical debt erased as part of a $27 million relief effort launched in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt.

Announced on December 18, the program targets county residents whose medical debt is 5% or more of their annual income or who earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level, according to CBS News.

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“Medical debt is a financial anchor on too many families, often forcing them to choose basic everyday needs or being forced to pay medical bills,” Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services, said. 

The county has invested $5 million into the effort, which began earlier this year and is expected to relieve up to $700 million in total debt. Additional funding of $2 million could be added if needed, officials said. 

Residents benefiting from the program will receive letters in the mail this week from Undue Medical Debt, with no action required. The forgiven debt originated from a local hospital that chose to remain anonymous. 

The announcement follows a similar move in Oakland County, which this week erased $9.1 million in medical debt for over 14,000 residents, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.