Christians for SWFL's Campaign to Forgive $28.7M of Medical Debt

Christians for Southwest Florida

~ forgiving medical debt!~

When Christian churches in SWFL became aware of the devastating impact medical debt was having on struggling families in their communities, a powerful spiritual movement united them to action. As Christ’s followers, Christians experience the power of forgiveness every day.  Jesus went to the cross to pay our debt of sin which is now recorded as PAID IN FULL!  With the help of RIP Medical Debt, we want to see 20,000+ of the poorest families in SWFL have their crippling medical debt PAID IN FULL. 

Paralyzing medical debt, the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the US, has shattered lives as well as credit scores further exacerbating people’s plight. A call went out to the Christian Church(es) of SWFL to join as sponsors to "Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy;" P.S. 82:3-4. As followers of Christ, we would purchase all the medical debt which meets the criteria outlined below ($28.7M worth) for each county in SWFL and graciously forgive it, asking nothing in return. This can be achieved for $287,000!l And would impact more than 20,000 families!  Each would receive a letter with their medical debt marked PAID IN FULL!  No more calls from debt collectors! Every $1 received relieves $100 of medical debt!

Visit our web site at:  https://secure.qgiv.com/event/swfl/

For additional information contact FaithAliveGrandezza@gmail.com.

• Lee County: Approx. $4.6M of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 4,000 individuals and their families
• Charlotte County: Approx. $3.8M of medical to abolish, impacting approx. 4,200 individuals and their families
• DeSoto County: Approx. $800K of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 400 individuals and their families
• Hardee County: Approx. $450K of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 150 individuals and their families
• Glades County: Approx. $35K of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 60 individuals and their families
• Hendry County: Approx. $500K of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 350 individuals and their families
• Manatee County: Approx $1.3M of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 700 idividuals and their families
• Highlands County: Approx. $3.4M of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx 1,700 individuals and their families
• Sarasota County: Approx. $5.2M of medical debt to abolish, impacting 2,750 individuals and their families
• Collier County: Approx $5.3M of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 4,000 individuals and their families
• Monroe County: Approx. $3.4M of medical debt to abolish, impacting approx. 2,000 individuals and their families

TOTAL: Approx $28.7M of medical debt impacting over 20,000 individuals and their families

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RIP Medical Debt’s Solution: RIP Medical Debt uses donations to purchase bundled medical debt portfolios that have gone through collection agencies for months or years. Using third-party credit data providers, it targets debt incurred by people facing financial hardship, and then forgives it. On average, $1 is leveraged to abolish $100 in medical debt.

Please see the full RIP FAQ below and visit www.ripmedicaldebt.org for more information. 

Want to make a donation by cash or check?

Please mail any cash or check (payable to "RIP Medical Debt") to the address below and make sure to notate on the memo line or letter that your gift is designated to "Christians for SWFL Campaign."

RIP Medical Debt  /  80 Theodore Fremd Ave. Rye, NY 10580 

You can contact Jane Lee at jlee@ripmedicaldebt.org with any questions about your donation. 

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 $600 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

• 42.9 million Americans have unpaid medical bills, which creates an adverse impact on debtor patients, physicians, and hospitals (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
• Six 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. (Kaiser Family Foundation & New York Times)
• 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. (Kaiser Family Foundation & New York Times)
• Medical debt contributes to more than 60 percent of the bankruptcies in the U.S. Until satisfied, debt lingers on a person’s credit report to negatively impact their ability to buy a home, get a loan or even gain employment. (The American Journal of Medicine)

Whose unpayable medical bills does RIP forgive?

• Individuals who make less than 2 times the federal poverty level
• Individuals with financial hardship - 5% or more of their annual income goes to out-of-pocket medical expenses
• 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
• does not count as being income to the gift recipient.

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

Disclaimer: In the event that a campaign is unable to meet RIP Medical Debt's local campaign contribution goal, all funds will be attributed to our national funds for general or veteran medical debt.