Group working to pay off $1 million in medical debt for county residents

EAST DURHAM―Unpaid medical debt impacts an estimated one in three Americans and nationwide totals more than $220 billion. In fact, overwhelming doctor and hospital bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.

Now, Northern Catskill Mutual Aid has launched a campaign to wipe out $1 million in medical debt for Greene County residents. It may seem like an ambitious goal, but it involves raising just $10,000.

The East Durham-based group has partnered with Undue Medical Debt, a national charitable organization that purchases large, bundled portfolios of past-due medical accounts for pennies on the dollar from hospitals, physicians’ groups and collection agencies.

On average, one dollar donated to Undue erases $100 of medical debt. Since 2014, the nonprofit has paid off $49.6 billion in past due medical bills for more than 31 million Americans with no strings attached.

“Medical debt is a heavy burden that any one of us can easily fall under and I’m grateful we can come together to support our neighbors in this way,” said Amanda Rivera, one of the local organizers.

Recently, Northern Catskill Mutual Aid hosted a benefit concert at Avalon Lounge in Catskill, raffling off prizes donated by local businesses like The Community Theater, Citiot, The Little Art Shop, and Loomie’s in Catskill, The Tasting Lab in Greenville, and others.

To date, its "Relieve Greene County Medical Debt” campaign has also collected more than $5,000 in online donations.

According to the group, medical debt punishes people not for poor choices, but for getting sick—and traps families in a cycle of stress, delayed care, and financial insecurity. Those with medical debt are also three times more likely to experience mental health burdens like anxiety or depression and significantly more likely to skip or delay mental healthcare.

“This is the first initiative that I’ve been involved in as part of Northern Catskill Mutual Aid, and it’s been great being able to collaborate with the local community and business owners eager to support the cause,” said Rivera.

Those who qualify for Undue’s assistance have medical debt that exceeds five percent of their income and earn at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, which currently equates to about $62,200 for a single person.

The organization can only pay off debts that providers like hospitals and physicians are willing to sell to them. Thus, there is no application process. Those who Undue helps simply receive a letter in the mail―out of the blue―notifying them that their debt is gone.

Allison Sesso, president and CEO of Undue Medical Debt, previously served as executive director of the Human Services Council of New York. She described medical debt as a “debt of necessity.”

“Our aspiration is a health care system where no one avoids care out of fear of financial ruin,” said Sesso.

“Until that day comes, we’re committed to leveraging charitable giving to provide medical debt relief while advancing policy to lift this undue burden from families across the country,” she added.

For more information about the "Relieve Greene County Medical Debt” campaign, email northerncatskillsmutualaid@gmail.com or call 518-261-2473, or visit https://unduemedicaldebt.org/campaign/relieve-greene-county-medical-debt to donate.