Synod of the Trinity, Presbyterian Church Campaign - RIP Medical Debt

$37,422.40
raised of $500,000 goal
7%
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Campaign Created BySynod of the Trinity, Presbyterian Church USA

Artwork Credit: Leo Goode, “We’re all in this Together”, 2004, (oil on canvas), used with artist’s permission.

Season by season, Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring, medical debt racks up, with medical bills contributing to a majority of U.S. bankruptcies.  Now it’s open season on medical debt in the Synod of the Trinity, Presbyterian Church USA.  Make the choice to hunt down and abolish medical debt for our neighbors within the geographic area of the Synod (Pennsylvania, southeastern Ohio, and all of West Virginia except the eastern panhandle). Thanks to Bower Hill Community Church for initiating this campaign, giving all of us together the opportunity to significantly impact the lives of our neighbors.

What are the targets? 

  • Medical debt in collection for our neighbors in the Synod of the Trinity who earn less than 4 times the poverty rate or whose debt is 5% or more of their income. 
  • $500,000 donated by members of the Synod of the Trinity, which could abolish nearly 50 million dollars in medical debt. 

What are the benefits?   

  • You can take a tax deduction for your donation. 
  • The debt is removed from the credit reports of our neighbors and they have one less thing to worry about. 

Want to help?  Here’s how! 

  • Click on the donate button on the right or donate to the RIP fund at your church.  Any amount will help.  If every member of the Synod donates 5 bucks we will easily hit our target of $500,000.  This could abolish nearly $50 million (yes, million!) in medical debt for our neighbors.  
Campaign Support Recipients
Monroe County, Ohio
Jefferson County, Ohio
Harrison County, Ohio
Columbiana County, Ohio
Belmont County, Ohio
Pennsylvania
West Virginia
  • Recent Donations
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    Second United Presbyterian Church just donated $300
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    Mike & Sharon K. just donated $265
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    Anonymous just donated $53.20
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    Betsy And Lou D. just donated $53.20
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    Anonymous just donated $53.20
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    Wanada B. just donated $466
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    Bower Hill Community Church just donated $500
  • Donor Avatar
    Anonymous just donated $26.80
$37,422.40
raised of $500,000 goal
7%
Fundraise
Donate by Check
  • Recent Donations
  • Donor Avatar
    Second United Presbyterian Church just donated $300
  • Donor Avatar
    Mike & Sharon K. just donated $265
  • Donor Avatar
    Anonymous just donated $53.20
  • Donor Avatar
    Betsy And Lou D. just donated $53.20
  • Donor Avatar
    Anonymous just donated $53.20
  • Donor Avatar
    Wanada B. just donated $466
  • Donor Avatar
    Bower Hill Community Church just donated $500
  • Donor Avatar
    Anonymous just donated $26.80

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.

Fundraise

How RIP Works

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

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  • 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.

Who We Help
Read Our FAQ
Debt Resources
Frequent Questions
Is my donation tax deductible?

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

Relevant Documents:
IRS 501(c)3 Determination Letter
Download
Who qualifies for debt relief?

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.

Do recipients of debt relief have any adverse consequences?

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.

Can donors see whose debt is relieved by their donation?

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

Can I apply for debt relief?

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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