A donor-funded nonprofit is working alongside Ochsner Health to buy and erase $366 million of medical debt from 193,000 patients.

Oschner Health

As reported on Wednesday by The New Orleans Advocate, Ochsner Health is working with Undue Medical Debt to relieve the debt of patients across the South.

"Ochsner is proud to have worked with Undue Medical Debt to enable the organization to acquire and cancel past one-time debts for eligible residents"

-Statement from Ochsner Health

Oschner is one of the biggest health providers in Louisiana, with 10 separate locations throughout the state.

In the statement made by Oschner Health, they further explain their commitment to "providing accessible healthcare -- such as refraining from selling debt to secondary collectors."

RIP Medical Debt

Originally started in 2014 under the name RIP Medical Debt, Undue Medical Debt is a non-profit with the core goal of erasing medical debt for those who cannot afford it. Undue has erased over $13 billion in medical debt in the ten years since its start.

Working with debt collectors and healthcare providers Undue Medical Debt identifies the debt of those struggling the most and then purchases the right of ownership to the debt, then they simply forgive the debt free of charge.

Undue will only buy debt from those who make four times less than the federal poverty level or people with medical debt that is 5% or more than their annual income.

Individuals cannot request to have their debt eliminated, rather it depends on which debt collectors or healthcare providers are working to sell their debt ownership to Undue Medical Debt.