More Perfect Union
@moreperfectunion·3.5M subscribers·1.9K videos
How This City ERASED $1 Billion In Medical Debt
Posted
January 11, 2023
Views
9,358
Likes
1,121
Comments
128
Engagement
13.35%
January 11, 2023
9,358
1,121
128
13.35%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
4:26Now PlayingUp to $1.5 billion of medical debt is being cancelled by local governments thanks to funds from Democrats’ American Rescue Plan. Chicago, Toledo, Pittsburgh & New Orleans have teamed up with the nonprofit RIPMedicalDebt to forgive the debt. With just $1 they can eliminate $100 in debt.
RIPMedicalDebt, founded by two former debt buyers, partners with local governments to purchase debt from local hospitals and then erase it. Debt buyers, like collection agencies, purchase delinquent debt for a fraction of its face value.
Residents who make less than 400% of the poverty line or who are spending over 5% of their income on medical bills automatically qualify.
Local governments have relieved nearly $1.5 billion of debt using just $15.9 million. Cook County, IL will cancel $1 billion in debt. Toledo will cancel $240 million. New Orleans plans to eliminate $130 million. Pittsburgh will forgive $115 million.
Dozens of other local governments have already reached out RIPMedicalDebt to get their own programs running. If you want to bring the program to your city, learn more here
-----
More Perfect Union makes media to build power for workers. Learn more here
Follow us on Twitter
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.
