Nonprofits Work Together to Eliminate $110 Million in Medical Debt for 70,000 Consumers Across Five States

By Consumers for Quality Care, on June 28, 2023

Nonprofit health care organizations SCAN and CareOregon recently granted $345,000 to RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit debt relief organization, which was used to erase millions of dollars in medical debt for thousands of consumers across multiple states, Health Payer Intelligence reports.

With this grant, RIP Medical Debt is poised to eliminate $110 million in medical debt for 70,000 consumers in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas. The debt relief will be targeted for the consumers most in need.

According to KFF Health News, an estimated 100 million American consumers face medical debt. Medical debt has far-reaching impacts, often preventing consumers from seeking the medical care they need, worsening health outcomes in turn. According to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), roughly 44 percent of consumers skipped seeing the doctor last year due to cost concerns.

CQC applauds efforts that aim to address the medical debt crisis for consumers and urges lawmakers and the Biden administration to enact policies that will protect consumers from crushing medical debt.