Illinois - RIP Medical Debt

Help Abolish Illinois Medical Debt Today!

Every dollar you donate forgives nearly $100 in medical debt

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Campaign Created ByYoung Democratic Socialists of America - Northern Illinois University

Across the country, millions of Americans are stuck facing extreme levels of medical debt. One in three Americans are struggling with the many challenges that medical debt brings onto individuals and families alike. This financial strain jeopardizes economic stability and the living standards of millions of Americans, punishing innocent people who cannot afford life-saving procedures and medications. 

A system that leaves its citizens unable to pay for life’s necessities while burdened with egregious levels of debt is fundamentally broken and inhumane. While significant and more radical changes to our healthcare system are needed, right now we must do what we can to help ordinary Americans who our system has left behind. 

This is why we are collaborating with RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit dedicated to abolishing medical debt for those burdened by it. RIP Medical Debt has wiped out over $10 billion in medical debt – and with your assistance, we can help many more Americans escape crippling debt.

How does it work?

When you make a donation, RIP Medical Debt uses that money to buy bundles of medical debt in bulk, allowing them to gain access to medical debt at a very large discount. Then, once they have the debt, they abolish the debt. Just like that, people are liberated from life-ruining expenditures and are free to live their lives with dignity and stability.

On average, $100 of donations is used to abolish  $10,000 in medical debt, and if we can raise a minimum of $10,000, we will be able to abolish $1,000,000 in medical debt across Illinois.

Campaign Support Recipients
DeKalb County, Illinois
McHenry County, Illinois
Boone County, Illinois
Winnebago County, Illinois
Illinois
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raised to date
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New research on the impacts of medical debt

A new survey published by PerryUndem in 2023 shows that medical debt is a shared experience for patients across the country.

Key Findings

Patients are making tradeoffs that affect their daily lives.
  1. Nearly 7 in 10 Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they receive medical bills they cannot afford. Many are forced to delay paying the bill, put it on a credit card, or challenge the bill.
  2. 6 in 10 Six in ten patients report they have self-treated, delayed, or skipped dental and medical appointments. Thirty-four percent report changing the foods they eat or eating less food to afford health care.
People and patients feel trapped in debt and see no way out. They see medical debt as different from other forms of debt - entirely the fault of institutions and systems, and not something consumers have any control over.
  1. Nearly 50% Nearly half feel trapped and believe they will never be able to pay off their debt, while a third of respondents reported feeling heightened depression and anxiety.
  2. Nearly 9 in 10 Nearly 9 in 10 blame the health care industry for fueling the medical debt crisis - not patients themselves. They say the problem stems from the system putting profit over patients.

Fundraise for This Campaign

Start a fundraiser to help those in need. Set a personal fundraising goal and track online donations easily with RIP.

How RIP Works

Over a hundred million Americans, one in three, struggles with the weight of medical debt.

  • You make a donation

    We use data analytics to pinpoint the debt of those most in need: households that earn less than 4x the federal poverty level (varies by state, family size) or whose debts are 5% or more of annual income.

  • RIP buys medical debt at a steep discount

    We buy debt in bundles, millions of dollars at a time at a fraction of the original cost. This means your donation relieves about 100x its value in medical debt.

  • Together we wipe out medical debt

    People across the country receive letters that their debt has been erased. They have no tax consequences or penalties to consider. Just like that, they’re free of medical debt.


Frequent Questions

Yes. We are a 501(c)(3) charity and your donation is 100% tax deductible.


Relevant Documents:

When we purchase a portfolio of medical debt, we abolish debt for individuals who:

  • Earn less than 4x the federal poverty level (varies by state, family size).
  • Debts are 5 percent or more of annual income.

We only buy debt that has been pre-qualified by our partners to meet at least one of these criteria. 

We never collect on debt we purchase, only relieve it.

No. With your help, we abolish medical debt permanently. Recipients have no adverse tax consequences, obligations, or strings attached.

For those whose medical debts are relieved, the relief is a gift from a detached and disinterested third party (RIP) as an act of generosity, so relief of the debt does not count as income to the debtor. We will not file a Form 1099-C with the IRS.

Due to HIPAA laws, RIP Medical Debt cannot disclose the names, contact information or any other specific details of the debt relief beneficiaries.

RIP Medical Debt cannot relieve debt by individual request.

While we would love to help everyone who needs assistance, RIP Medical Debt cannot abolish medical debt for specific individuals. We approach the problem of medical debt by acquiring large portfolios of debt to help thousands of people at once.

Because medical debt affects so many people who may not have debt accounts in the portfolios we purchase, we have compiled a list of resources that may be able to help in ways RIP Medical Debt cannot.

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