We inform and deepen policy conversations about making our nation’s health care financing system more equitable and affordable.

More than 100 million U.S. adults struggle with healthcare debt. There is more than $195 billion owed nationwide.

Medical debt is woven into our health care financing system and our economy. Our mission is to end medical debt. We have a unique model in that it combines the generosity of donors with debt industry expertise to produce a high volume of medical debt relief. The debt relief we provide reduces mental and financial distress for millions of people, removing a barrier to accessing the health care they need.

Nearly 1/2

of U.S. adults struggle to afford healthcare costs. For Black, Hispanic and low-income adults that figure jumps to at least six in ten.

greater likelihood that individuals with debt also have a mental health problem such as anxiety, stress, or depression.

Policy Domains

1 —

Affordable and comprehensive coverage.

2 —

Easy access to and enrollment in financial assistance programs.

3 —

Banning extraordinary collection actions and monitoring medical debt.

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Beneficiary Stories

Our policy priorities reflect the experiences of our constituents. We are committed to centering the voices and stories of our constituents’ priorities as we work to influence policy and systems changes that end medical debt. Read about the people RIP Medical Debt has helped through our donor-supported model.

Policy Resources

2022 Policy Summit — From Exam Room To Kitchen Table: The Role of Medical Debt in Health

Webinar

Understanding the Impacts of Medical Debt — Insights from Focus Groups with Atlanta Residents

Research

News

Recent Updates

Medical Debt on Credit Reports is Declining (But Don’t Celebrate Just Yet)

In February, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report on third-party debt collection tradelines. That is a mouthful that essentially means the agency analyzed how prevalent medical debt is on people’s credit reports; they found that medical debt tradelines significantly declined (by 37 percent) from 2018–2022. At first blush, this is great news! It’s good that people are not seeing medical debt show up on their credit reports and they are protected from the financial harms that negative credit reporting can bring. Yet, medical debt still makes up the majority of collections — a whopping 57 percent — so what’s the deal? As people who think about nothing but medical debt, we offer a couple of reflections on CFPB’s analysis and a spoiler alert: just because you don’t see it does not mean that medical debt is not harming people every day.