A donation from Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel and model and entrepreneur Miranda Kerr helped a nonprofit cancel more than $550 million in California medical debt for over 261,000 people. The couple have not disclosed the amount they contributed.

Key Takeaways

  • Undue Medical Debt buys qualifying bills at a discount and cancels them rather than collecting payment.
  • Recipients will be notified by letter; individuals cannot apply to have a particular bill canceled.

Where the California medical debt relief went

The relief included approximately $99 million for more than 40,000 people in San Diego County and about $26.7 million for over 17,000 Los Angeles County residents, according to Undue Medical Debt.

The nonprofit said it would notify eligible recipients by letter. Cancellation depends on the debt portfolios it can purchase, so the initiative does not necessarily cover every bill a recipient owes.

How the nonprofit cancels bills

Undue Medical Debt acquires groups of qualifying medical debts from hospitals, other healthcare providers and collection agencies at discounts, then erases them. The nonprofit says an average $10 donation can eliminate $1,000 in medical debt.

Eligibility generally includes households earning no more than 400% of the federal poverty level or people whose medical debt equals at least 5% of their annual income. Meeting those criteria alone does not ensure relief: the nonprofit must also acquire the relevant debt.

The couple’s earlier giving

Spiegel and Kerr also helped pay off student loans for Otis College of Art and Design graduates in 2022 and supported recovery efforts after the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires.

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