Austin Church Donation Erases $14M in Medical Debt for Texans
A $75,000 donation from Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin funded the elimination of $14 million in medical debt for 10,865 Travis County residents, the Austin American-Statesman reported Oct. 9. The church worked with nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, which buys outstanding medical bills at discounted rates from providers and collectors and forgives them. Recipients earning up to four times the federal poverty level, or whose medical debt exceeds 5% of annual income, qualify automatically and are being notified by mail the week of Oct. 9 with no action required. This marks the church's second such partnership after a 2020 donation erased $16 million in debt, and follows similar 2026 initiatives in Kentucky, Kansas, and other states that have collectively wiped out more than $1.1 billion in medical debt nationally.