Ian Oberg - Colorado Medical Debt Relief

I work with people in Colorado every day to help them better understand and utilize their health care. A large part of this work ends up focusing on medical bills. Whether it’s debt that is already in collections, moving towards it because they can’t afford the care they needed, or debt that they will surely incur because they need to seek care but won’t be able to pay for it, I hear and feel their struggles as they wade through these very stressful situations and that's why I've volunteered with RIP Medical Debt to abolish medical debt specifically for Coloradoans. Every dollar donated will buy and abolish $100 of medical debt in Colorado. 

Being the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States, medical debt impacts so many people in so many different ways. It often feels like nobody is immune. Once in collections, people endure even more stress and often stop opening their mail. Having these collection accounts on one’s credit can prevent them from getting an apartment, having utilities started in their names, obtaining a car or home loan, to name only some of the challenges this adds to people’s lives.

RIP Medical Debt has done amazing work on behalf of others, helping to eliminate debt burdens for those who can’t afford to pay them and have them removed from their credit. Their mission hits very close to home for me. I am grateful and excited to be working with their organization on the first campaign in Colorado to raise money that will eliminate medical debt for our fellow citizens. 

Please join me in making whatever donation you can afford to this worthy cause, helping people in Colorado who are struggling under the weight of medical bills they cannot afford. If you feel compelled, please share this page with your friends, family, and colleagues through email or social media. You can also register below to raise your own funds for this Colorado specific campaign. Many thanks!

Who is RIP Medical Debt? RIP Medical Debt (RIP) is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to empower donors to forgive the billions of dollars in oppressive medical debt at pennies on the dollar. RIP locates, buys, and abolishes destructive medical debt for individuals, veterans, and families. Since inception in 2014, RIP has relieved more than $450 million in medical debt for individuals across the U.S., impacting over 250,000 individuals.

How Does RIP Medical Debt Work? RIP, working with third-party credit data providers, searches through large debt portfolios to locate accounts meeting their criteria for relief. RIP then negotiates to buy millions of dollars of this debt at a steep discount, usually a penny or less on the dollar.

Facts about Medical Debt

• More than $100 billion in unpaid medical debt every year has an adverse impact on debtor patients,  physicians, and hospitals.
• 6 in 10 of both insured and uninsured people say they have difficulty in paying other bills as a result of medical debt. Over a third were unable to pay for food, heat, or housing because of medical bills.
• Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults under age 65, or 116 million people, had medical bill problems or debt, went without needed care because of cost, were uninsured for a time, or were underinsured—insured but had high out-of-pocket medical expenses or deductibles relative to income.
• Medical debt contributes to more than 60% of the bankruptcies in the US. Until satisfied, debt
  lingers on a person’s credit report to negatively impact their ability to buy a home, get a loan or evengain employment.

Whose unpayable medical bills does RIP forgive?

• Individuals who make less than 2 times the federal poverty level
• Individuals with financial hardship - a debt that that is 5% or more of their annual income
• Individuals who are insolvent (debts greater to their assets)

Why Donate to RIP Medical Debt?

• Your dollar goes a long way! On average, $1 abolishes $100 of debt.
• 100 percent of your donation goes towards abolishing medical debt.
• RIP Medical Debt is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and our EIN number is 47-1442997. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
• We have specific programs for veterans and active service members of the US military.
• There are no tax consequences for those whose medical debts are forgiven. The forgiveness is a gift from a detached and disinterested third party (RIP) is an act of generosity, so forgiveness of the debt does not count as being income to the gift recipient.

RIP Medical Debt's Federal Tax ID: 47-1442997