Supermodel Miranda Kerr and her husband, Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, have funded the erasure of $550 million in medical debt for Californians. The couple made a multimillion-dollar donation to the nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt, which works to relieve individuals and families of financial burdens associated with healthcare costs.
Their contribution will impact over 260,000 residents in California, forgiving outstanding medical bills. Kerr and Spiegel shared the news via an Instagram video, emphasizing the reality of the debt relief for affected families. "When someone you love is sick. All you want to do is focus on helping them get better," Kerr stated in the video. "That's why we wanted to support this effort and help relieve medical debt, so families can focus on caring for their loved ones and really supporting their healing."
According to Undue Medical Debt, the donation was made in the spring, and recipients will begin receiving notification letters in mid-July. The nonprofit acquires bundled, unpaid medical debt at a significantly reduced cost. On average, each dollar donated to Undue Medical Debt can forgive $100 in medical debt. The organization typically targets households earning at or below four times the federal poverty level, or where medical debt constitutes at least 5 percent of their annual income.
Kerr also expressed a desire to draw attention to the work of Undue Medical Debt, formerly known as RIP Medical Debt, which was founded in 2014 by former debt collectors. Spiegel, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes to be around $2.1 billion, added that the donation aims to provide "a little peace of mind and allows you to focus on what matters the most."
This is not the couple's first significant philanthropic act. In 2022, Kerr and Spiegel contributed to paying off more than $10 million in student loans for graduating students at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Kerr and Spiegel have been married since 2017 and have three sons. Kerr also has a teenage son from her previous marriage to actor Orlando Bloom.