LET'S BURN SOME MEDICAL DEBT

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Let’s Burn Some Medical Debt

It’s my birthday. There’s a present I want. And I’m sick… of people being forced into debt just because they get sick.
ONE out of every TWO Americans have to choose between paying medical bills and meeting basic needs. Medical debt is a unique American injustice that punishes the most impoverished Americans with a financial burden no one should have to bear.

There’s an organization I learned about back in 2016 from John Oliver called Undue Medical Debt, which is fighting back. They buy debt for pennies on the dollar and then forgive it. They’ve erased over $14 BILLION in medical debt owed by 9.3 MILLION Americans since their founding.

So I reached out and asked if they had any debt in Colorado (my home state). At the time, they said they didn’t, but they’d get back to me in case that changed. Well, they finally reached out earlier this year and have access to $50,000,000 of Coloradans’ medical debt. That debt represents anguish, stress and sickness of my neighbors, friends and communities I care for— no one should have to carry these burdens alone.

My hopefully realistic goal is to help knock out 10% of that.

So for my birthday, I’ve partnered with an anonymous donor to match any donations you make (up to $50k) to help buy and erase the medical debt of Coloradans who live paycheck to paycheck. Every $1 you donate helps erase $100 in medical debt of low-income Coloradans. I would love for my birthday this year to gift families some peace of mind this Christmas.

I’m throwing in $5,000 to start it off. My anonymous friend is matching it. That’s a start. They’ll match more. If enough of you help me out, we can eliminate FIVE MILLION DOLLARS of medical debt. That would be the BEST. BIRTHDAY. PRESENT. EVER.

And the second best birthday ever would be you sharing this and getting other people to join the party.

Campaign Support Recipients

Colorado

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How Undue Works

Over a hundred million Americans, one in three, struggles with the weight of medical debt.

Who We Help

Debt Resources

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.
Undue 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.
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my donation tax deductible?

Yes. We are a 501(c)(3) charity and your donation is 100% tax deductible.

Who qualifies for medical debt relief?

When we purchase a portfolio of medical debt, we abolish debt for individuals who:

Earn 4x or below the federal poverty level
Have medical debt that is 5 percent or more of their annual income.

We only buy debt that meets at least one of these criteria.

We never collect on debt we purchase, only relieve it.

Do recipients of debt relief have any adverse consequences?

No. With your help, we abolish medical debt permanently. Recipients have no adverse tax consequences, obligations or strings attached.

Medical debt relief is a gift from a detached and disinterested third party (Undue) as an act of generosity, so relief of the debt does not count as income to the debtor. We will not file a Form 1099-C with the IRS.

Can donors see whose debt is relieved by their donation?

Due to HIPAA laws, Undue Medical Debt cannot disclose the names, contact information or any other specific details of the debt relief beneficiaries.

Can I apply for debt relief?

Undue Medical Debt cannot relieve debt by individual request.

While we would love to help everyone who needs assistance, Undue cannot abolish medical debt for specific individuals. We acquire large, bundled portfolios of debt to help thousands of people at once and we can only erase debts that providers like hospitals and physicians are willing to sell to us.

Because medical debt affects so many people who may not have debt accounts in the portfolios we purchase, we have compiled a list of resources that may be able to help.

About Undue

Undue Medical Debt is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit which leverages donations to buy large, bundled medical debts at steep discounts, providing immediate, no strings attached relief to financially vulnerable families. On average one dollar donated erases $100 of medical debt. We also help people with medical debt share their stories, which informs our approach to fixing the healthcare system, whether by policy solutions or collaborating with likeminded partners.

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