Pittsburgh – In the new year, thousands of Allegheny County residents will get letters telling them that the medical debt that has been hanging over the heads has been wiped out – paid for by contributions from the members of the 117 churches in Pittsburgh Presbytery.
Over the past few months, those Presbyterian church members have donated nearly $75,000 as part of a campaign with the national nonprofit group Undue Medical Debt – enough to eliminate more than $14 million in outstanding bills. The coalition has exceeded its initial goal to raise $65,000 and the campaign is still open through the end of the year for those who would like to erase burdensome medical debts for their community.
Undue Medical Debt purchases medical debts belonging to those least able to pay from health care providers and other organizations for pennies on the dollar, meaning every one dollar donated erases $100 or more of medical debt. But unlike commercial bill collectors, the group doesn’t badger people to pay off the debt themselves. Instead, it finds organizations and individuals who are willing to donate money to eliminate these debts. In Pennsylvania, nearly 1 in 15 adults carries medical debt. In Allegheny County alone, the average person with medical debt in collections carries a balance of nearly $1,000.
The Presbyterian campaign was spearheaded by its Matthew 25 On The Move ministry team, a group that embraces Jesus’ commandment to provide care to the “least of these.” Part of the group’s mission is to address systemic poverty, a purpose which is served by this campaign. The Rev. Dr. Judith Slater, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Duquesne and a leader of the Matthew 25 group, said that the impact of the donations is tremendous.
Related reading: “South Pittsburgh pastor takes the long view of service to the community” by Gregg Brekke, Outlook Reporting
“Undue tells us that people who have received this debt relief in the past often have trouble believing it is real, for it seems too good to be true. But once they realize it is real, they often say that it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from them and they can move forward in their lives and have a chance for a new life.”
She added that “this was truly a mustard-seed endeavor,” referencing a biblical parable about a small seed providing abundant growth. “Individuals and churches gave what they could, from one dollar to thousands of dollars.” One church, Concord Presbyterian, even donated $20,000 from the proceeds of the recent sale of its building.
The Presbyterian church members were influenced to donate by video testimonies from local residents who were burdened with medical debt.
One church member recalled the time her daughter went through five hospital stays before she turned 5, because of ongoing problems with RSV infections. Even though the family had health insurance, she said, “our claims fell into insurance policy loopholes and exclusions … and our medical bills racked up.” Eventually, the family’s debts were sold to a collection agency, and “all of a sudden, the debt collector began sending scathing letters and calling multiple times a day. It made me feel less than human; it was one of the most stressful times of my life.”
“I cannot tell you the peace of mind it would have given me to receive a letter saying, ‘I’ve got you. Your debt is forgiven. Go focus on keeping your child comfortable.’” (More of the story here and more testimony here).
“This initiative demonstrated the power and potential of our collective witness to walk alongside our community and care for our neighbors in meaningful, life-changing ways,” said the Rev. Jessica McClure Archer, general minister of Pittsburgh Presbytery. “When our churches come together, we are able to share God’s love far greater and wider than our own churches’ four walls. We embody what it means to be the Body of Christ—broken for the sake of grace, healing, and justice—in a world that can often feel cruel and unforgiving.
The money donated so far will relieve the debt of an estimated 12,500 individuals living in Allegheny County, which is the region served by Pittsburgh Presbytery. These families have no idea that these unpaid bills, which are one of the leading causes of personal bankruptcy in the U.S., are about to be wiped out. They will simply get a letter telling them that this weight has been lifted, thanks to the generosity of Presbyterian church members.
Related reading: “First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Indiana, abolishes $1.78 million in medical debt for Hoosier families” by FPC of Columbus, Indiana
There is no application process for this medical debt relief and it cannot be requested. Debt relief depends on community-minded providers like hospitals and secondary market partners like collection agencies who choose to sell their qualifying medical debt.
To qualify, residents must live in Allegheny County and have an income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level (just over $100,000 for a family of three) or have medical debt that is 5% of their income or more.
Medical debt affects at least 100 million people in the U.S., who collectively owe about $220 billion to hospitals, doctors and other organizations. Medical debt comprises a majority of all collections listed on personal credit reports and is the leading cause of bankruptcies in the U.S.
According to Undue, comprehensive health insurance is the best protection from medical debt, but many people are underinsured, and have high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs they cannot afford. Medical debt can force people to delay care. It can impact their credit and it weighs heaviest on communities that already face inequities.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the Pittsburgh Presbytery and its 117 congregations for this inspiring act of compassion that will bring relief to thousands of Allegheny County families,” said Undue Medical Debt CEO and President Allison Sesso. “At a time when the medical debt crisis is only getting worse, it’s heartening to see faith communities step forward to help their neighbors who never chose to get sick or face medical emergencies. This campaign demonstrates how collective action can lift the tremendous financial and emotional burden of these unpayable debts of necessity.”
Written by Mark Roth
Contacts: Rev. Jessica McClure Archer, 412-323-1401, or jmcclurearcher@pghpresbytery.org, or Rev. Dr. Judith Slater, 412-370-4601, or judislater@gmail.com
