Rise Together

Campaign Created By: Health Committee of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca

Ithaca Community Works to Relieve Medical Debt of Low-Income Neighbors in Western New York Counties

Why: A recent series of reports from the Community Service Society of NY (CSS) titled “Discharged into Debt”, revealed that hospitals sued widely during the pandemic, more commonly in majority-minority zip codes. The highest area of indebtedness is 14% in Syracuse (Onondaga County) followed by Broome, Chatauqua, Chemung, and Steuben Counties. The consequences of this indebtedness for low-income persons is financially crippling, ruining credit scores and adding the stress of bill collectors calling. 

Who: The project has a strong anti-racist component. Racial disparities are highly significant in medical debt lawsuits— 65% are filed in zips with a high proportion of people of color.

How: We will fund raise for an organization, RIP Medical Debt, that can buy medical debt belonging to people in financial distress for pennies on the dollar, send notices of abolished debt, and delete the debt from recipients’ credit report with no tax consequences to either donor or recipient. If the Ithaca community can raise $10,000, RIP can abolish at least $1 Million in debt. Since the average debt is $2000, a $20 donation can be thought to free a debtor, and enable wide spread community participation. RIP can only abolish debt owed by folks earning less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. Hence our assistance will be targeted where it is most needed — in Western New York, especially Syracuse.

Donors: We are reaching out through ACT to participating religious congregations, the Poor Peoples’ Campaign, and other socially minded groups. We hope to create awareness of the crisis of medical debt, generate large-scale community support, and publicize widely to reinforce the values of community caring.

When:  Begins June 2023

Make checks out to :RIPMedicalDebt, Rise Together on the memo line

References: RIPMedicalDebt.org, cssny.org (Community Service Society of NY , “Discharged into Debt” multiple reports), Questions to Judy Jones, [email protected]

Group Contributions:

$206 raised by BJM Second Graders

$1,000 raised in honor of the BJM Second Graders

$1,000 from Carol Kammen in honor of BJM Second Graders

$456 from the CCCBird Study Group

$1,000 from Ithaca Catholic Worker Community

$465 in honor of Rebecca Elgie

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