Residents step up to meet goal, eliminating $700,000 in debt faced by local families
Medical debt is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States, causing families to be trapped in cycles of poverty, stress and facing insurmountable choices.
As Thanksgiving approaches next week, the Logan County Democratic Party are exceedingly grateful for generous members of the community, who have stepped up this fall to participate in the group’s new fundraiser to help erase the medical debts owed by county residents that total $700,000.
In just six weeks, 17 local donors and businesses provided financial support to reach a goal of raising $5,000. Through teaming up with The Collaboratory in Dayton, which serves seven counties in the region, including Logan County, medical debt can be eliminated for pennies on the dollar.
For example, a $25 donation can erase $2,500 in debt, and a $100 donation can erase $10,000 in debt, through The Collaboratory’s partnership with a national debt relief non-profit organization, Undue Medical Debt.
Sue Neer, Logan County Democratic Party chair, said she learned about this initiative through the county chair of the Greene County Democratic Party, which conducted a similar fundraiser to help residents in their county.
At first, Neer admitted she was skeptical and wondered if the program was “too good to be true.” However, she became excited after conducting further research and learning how the process works and what a huge difference it could make for so many families who are facing the burden of medical debt, an issue affecting one in three adults in America.
“We initially thought it was too good to be true, but when I dug deeper into it, I saw it was legit and a very worthwhile cause that so many could benefit from,” Neer explained.
“This is a time when a lot of people are struggling and it was just another way we thought we could help. That was pretty much the reaction from all our members. Why wouldn’t we do this when it is something we knew we could do?”
The national non-profit Undue Medical Debt was founded in 2014 by former collection industry executives with decades of experience, who put their industry knowledge to work to abolish debt, rather than collect it, according to https://unduemedicaldebt.org/.
Undue Medical Debt’s process mimics “for-profit” debt buyers by using fundraised dollars to purchase medical debt in large, bundled portfolios for pennies on the dollar.
“We purchase medical debt from various sources, including hospitals, physician practices and debt collectors. Once we own the debt, we notify the thousands of individuals whose debt(s) we purchased that we are freeing them of any oblation to pay,” officials said via https://unduemedicaldebt.org/.
Individuals who qualify for medical debt relief must fall into one of two categories — either people who are at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level; or individuals whose debt is more than 5 percent of their annual income.
The Collaboratory of Dayton reports there is $22.74 million in qualified medical debt in the Miami Valley impacting 13,000 people who fall into one of those two categories.
“These are the people who are struggling the most and will benefit the most. Let’s lift them up so we can lift our community up,” officials from The Collaboratory said.
Neer related the Logan County Democratic Party teamed up with The Collaboratory to identify $700,000 in medical debt that was owed specifically in Logan County. Initially, the party chair said they hoped to raise the $5,000 within four months, but the local donors quickly surpassed the goal.
“We got the fundraiser set up online working with the Collaboratory. Before we could really get it going, donations started coming in. We have been very pleased, excited and amazed at how quickly we were able to achieve our goal…. People have been very generous and we greatly appreciate it.
“This is the first time doing this so we have learned a lot in the process and still learning.”
Within a few weeks, Logan County individuals whose debt was paid off through this program will receive a letter in the mail from Undue Medical Debt, saying their debt is relieved, without any adverse tax consequences, obligations or strings attached.
In addition to conducting this medical debt initiative, the Logan County Democrats are committed to being involved with the local community in other ways, Neer and member Kim Doughty noted. Members serve together at Our Daily Bread each month, along with conducting roadside clean-ups in their designated area and assisting the homeless shelter by conducting food and pet food drives.
About three years ago, the political group first moved into its current office space at The Marketplace, 130 S. Main St., Bellefontaine. This location has been a great way to be able to “reach across the aisle” to network with others and to become more involved in the community, working with Republicans and independents on various downtown events and activities, Doughty and Neer related.
In the future, the Logan County Democratic Party intends to conduct the medical debt relief fundraiser again, as long as there is a need.
“We feel honored to be able to help all the residents of Logan County who have been hindered by medical debt and look forward to helping in the future,” Neer said.
“This has meant so much to us in watching the community get behind us in supporting this cause. We work very hard to be a positive influence in the community and this is just another way to help where help is needed.
“We do know this will be an ongoing problem as long as our healthcare system stays the same, so we will be doing this again, but that time frame will be determined as we watch how the debt grows.”
