To donate to this campaign by mail, please send a check:
Payable To:
RIP Medical Debt
Address:
RIP Medical Debt
P. O. Box 411675
Boston, MA 02241-1675
Memo Line:
CWPA — 46004
CENTRAL WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA CAMPAIGN (CWPA) – #46004
Raising funds to purchase medical debt in Pennsylvania’s Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset Counties
Every one of us deserves the opportunity for the bluebird’s happiness, but sometimes the realities of life get in the way. One of those realities is the burden of medical debt.
Americans are drowning in medical debt. More than 100 million people in the United States struggle with medical debt, estimated at more than $195 billion, according to research from the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Medical debt brings with it mental and financial stress and is a major contributing factor to personal bankruptcies.
Since 2014, RIP Medical Debt, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Long Island City, NY, has used charitable donations to eliminate personal medical debt in all 50 states. During the summer of 2023, the value of medical debt abolished by RIP surpassed $10 billion.
The goal of the Central Western Pennsylvania campaign is to raise $10,000 to forgive $1.8 million of outstanding medical debt for residents of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset Counties. Once the goal of $10k has been achieved, RIP purchases available debt of qualifying residents in the counties on the brokers’ market. This stops all collection action on the debt. A letter is mailed to each recipient for their records, advising them that their medical debt has been abolished. RIP then removes the debt and its history from the recipients’ credit reports. There are no strings attached to the abolishment and there are no tax ramifications.
Each $1 contributed eliminates at least $100 of medical debt of residents in our target counties. Every $1 contributed is spent solely on the purchase of medical debt.
With $10,000, we will eliminate the medical debt of more than 2,000 families in our region.
BE THE GOOD IN THE WORLD!
Campaign Support Recipients
- Recent Donations
- Anonymous just donated $55
- Anonymous just donated $106
- Anonymous just donated $37.30
- Booker & Janet M. just donated $318
- Samantha B. just donated $26.80
- Anonymous just donated $529
- Mark And Carmen R. just donated $159
- Michelle B. just donated $100
To donate to this campaign by mail, please send a check:
Payable To:
RIP Medical Debt
Address:
RIP Medical Debt
P. O. Box 411675
Boston, MA 02241-1675
Memo Line:
CWPA — 46004
- Recent Donations
- Anonymous just donated $55
- Anonymous just donated $106
- Anonymous just donated $37.30
- Booker & Janet M. just donated $318
- Samantha B. just donated $26.80
- Anonymous just donated $529
- Mark And Carmen R. just donated $159
- Michelle B. just donated $100
New research on the impacts of medical debt
A new survey published by PerryUndem in 2023 shows that medical debt is a shared experience for patients across the country.
Key Findings
Patients are making tradeoffs that affect their daily lives.
- Nearly 7 in 10 Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they receive medical bills they cannot afford. Many are forced to delay paying the bill, put it on a credit card, or challenge the bill.
- 6 in 10 Six in ten patients report they have self-treated, delayed, or skipped dental and medical appointments. Thirty-four percent report changing the foods they eat or eating less food to afford health care.
People and patients feel trapped in debt and see no way out. They see medical debt as different from other forms of debt - entirely the fault of institutions and systems, and not something consumers have any control over.
- Nearly 50% Nearly half feel trapped and believe they will never be able to pay off their debt, while a third of respondents reported feeling heightened depression and anxiety.
- Nearly 9 in 10 Nearly 9 in 10 blame the health care industry for fueling the medical debt crisis - not patients themselves. They say the problem stems from the system putting profit over patients.
Fundraise for This Campaign
Start a fundraiser to help those in need. Set a personal fundraising goal and track online donations easily with RIP.
How RIP Works
Over a hundred million Americans, one in three, struggles with the weight of medical debt.
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You make a donation
We use data analytics to pinpoint the debt of those most in need: households that earn less than 4x the federal poverty level (varies by state, family size) or whose debts are 5% or more of annual income.
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RIP buys medical debt at a steep discount
We buy debt in bundles, millions of dollars at a time at a fraction of the original cost. This means your donation relieves about 100x its value in medical debt.
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Together we wipe out medical debt
People across the country receive letters that their debt has been erased. They have no tax consequences or penalties to consider. Just like that, they’re free of medical debt.
Frequent Questions
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