Nonprofit partner explains purchase-and‑erase model; officials cite differing national totals

Courtney Storey, identified as vice president of government initiatives at Undue Medical Debt, outlined the nonprofit’s standard practice for government partnerships: it purchases medical-debt portfolios from hospitals or collection agencies for a fraction of the face value and erases balances for eligible people, and Storey said the process requires no paperwork. “There is no application. There is no paperwork. There are no hoops to jump through,” she said, describing how people receive a letter notifying them that some or all of their medical debt is gone.