John Oliver on HBO uses RIP to Relieve nearly $15M in Medical Debt for 9,000 Americans. - RIP Medical Debt

John Oliver on HBO uses RIP to Relieve nearly $15M in Medical Debt for 9,000 Americans.

The 20-minute “Debt Buying” segment originated June 5, 2016, on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

NEW YORK — A June 5 segment of the HBO hit comedy series, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, featured the RIP Medical Debt charity relieving nearly $15 million worth of donated medical debt for around 9,000 people — a new giveaway record for American television. John Oliver brought attention to debt industry abuses and the specific issue of unpaid medical debt.

John Oliver reported that American households collectively owe more than $12 trillion in debt, with $436 billion at least 90 days overdue. He presented LWT’s investigation of the debt buying industry, airing video from a hidden camera at a professional conference. A debt buyer on the platform observed how debtors are ignorant of their rights as consumers.

Oliver set out to show how “disturbingly easy” it is to start a company that can purchase debt cheaply and collect it aggressively, including debt no longer due under law. LWT registered a debt-buying company in Mississippi for $50, naming John Oliver as the Chairman of the Board, calling the company Central Asset Recovery Professionals, Inc. — CARP, the bottom-feeding fish.

CARP located and purchased from Texas for about $60,000 a medical debt portfolio worth $14,922,261.76 — paying less than a half-cent on the dollar. Oliver said the portfolio held the names, current addresses and Social Security numbers for about 9.000 accounts. CARP could legally send collection agents to hound these people. Oliver and LWT instead donated that $14.9 million portfolio to the debt-relief charity, RIP Medical Debt.

In the finale, John Oliver stood before a wildly cheering live studio audience with millions watching on TV and online. Amid a triumphant fanfare he grandly pushed a giant red button. Dazzling lights flashed as paper bills fluttered down like confetti. John Oliver through RIP instantly abolished nearly $15 million in unpaid medical debt. Gone. For good.

John Oliver’s giveaway surpassed Oprah Winfrey’s 2004 TV record of giving almost $8 million worth of GM cars to everybody in her audience, creating the iconic “You get a car!” meme. RIP’s relief of LWT’s “$15 million” worth of medical debt set a new record for television.

“This is only going to help the 9,000 people whose medical debt we bought,” Oliver remarked at the outset of the blowoff. “The larger issue is, we need much clearer rules and tougher oversight to protect consumers from potentially predatory companies like the one we set up.”

RIP Medical Debt board member Robert Goff blogged that RIP deeply appreciates national awareness of medical debt. “We are grateful for an opportunity to be involved with a comedian who wanted to give 9,000 people the last laugh.”


Major Press Coverage

The Atlantic
John Oliver’s $15 Million Debt Giveaway
“John Oliver, the comedian and host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, dove into an investigation Sunday on how easy it is for predatory companies to purchase peoples’ debt from a bank and hold it over their heads. To demonstrate how easy it was, Oliver bought $15 million of medical debt for pennies on the dollar, and then announced he’d relieve it all.”

The Boston Globe
John Oliver relieves $15 million in medical debt
“If you didn’t already have an intellectual crush on John Oliver, the goofy Brit with the biting wit, Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight” might have left you no choice. In what he called “the largest one-time giveaway in television show history,” he forgave some $15 million in medical debt for some 9,000 Texans.”

Buzzfeed
John Oliver Made TV History By Relieving Nearly $15 Million In Medical Debt
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver made TV history on Sunday when it forgave roughly $15 million in medical debt to demonstrate the minimal oversight of the country’s debt-buying industry.”

The Chronicle of Philanthropy
John Oliver and Charity Team to Undo Millions in Medical Debt
“Comedian John Oliver has partnered with nonprofit group RIP Medical Debt to buy up and relieve nearly $15 million owed by patients for hospital treatment.”

CNBC
John Oliver takes a bite out of medical debt, but for 43 million it still hurts
“Medical debt just got less painful for nearly 9,000 consumers, courtesy of late-night TV host John Oliver. For nearly 43 million other Americans, it’s still a big problem.”

CNN
John Oliver makes ‘TV history’ by relieving $15 million in medical debt
“With the tap of a giant red button, streams of confetti, dramatic music and strobe lights, Oliver transferred the file with the 9,000 debtors’ personal information to RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that relieves medical debt with no tax consequences for the debtor.”

The Daily News
John Oliver tackles debt industry, relieves $15 million of money owed in largest TV giveaway ever
“This week, comedian John Oliver tackled the issue of debt collection in a typically biting-yet-hilarious segment that ended with an atypical $15 million gift.”

Fox News
John Oliver stages ‘largest one-time giveaway’ on TV by relieving $15M in debt
“Oprah’s got nothing on John Oliver. The late-night TV host staged the ‘largest one-time giveaway in television history’ on Sunday when he forgave nearly $15 million in debt belonging to 9,000 Americans.”

The Guardian
John Oliver buys and relieves $15m worth of medical debt
“Host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight outdoes Oprah with announcement at end of a segment on debt collectors that he has relieved the debt of 9,000 people.”

HuffingtonPost
John Oliver Makes TV History After Buying $16M Of Your Medical Debt
“American households currently owe more than $12 trillion in debt, which has given rise to an entire debt-buying industry.”

Los Angeles Times
John Oliver makes TV history by relieving $15 million in medical debt
“Move over, Oprah, John Oliver just stole your thunder. On Sunday’s episode of ‘Last Week Tonight,’ the comedian staged what may be the largest giveaway in TV history by relieving some $15 million in medical debt.”

Marketwatch
John Oliver just bought $15 million in medical debt for $60000 and forgave it all
“Medical debt affects many people’s lives. And repaying what you owe can get more complex and stressful when that debt gets sent to collections. On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver tackled the issue of medical debt in an unexpected way.”

The New York Times
For His Latest Trick, John Oliver Relieves $15 Million in Medical Debt
“Would you rather spend 20 minutes reading about the hazards of predatory debt collection, or would you rather spend 20 minutes watching someone relieve millions of dollars in debt, complete with a giveaway that professed to put Oprah Winfrey’s famous “You Get a Car!” gimmick to shame?”

NPR
How John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight” Is Using Stunts to Tell Stories
“It’s strange to describe the apparent purchase and relief of nearly $15 million in medical debt as “impish,” but bear with me.

Slate
John Oliver Just Gave Away Nearly $15 Million (by Relieving Medical Debt in Texas) — ‘On Sunday night John Oliver staged what he described as “the largest one-time giveaway in television show history,” giving $14,922,261.76 to nearly 9,000 lucky Texans.”

The Telegraph
John Oliver buys and relives $15 million of US medical debt. — “Some 9,000 people stuck with delinquent medical bills had their debts relieved courtesy of British HBO host John Oliver.”

Time
3 Things to Know About John Oliver’s Debt Collectors Takedown
“To top off the segment, Oliver explained how the show created its own debt collection company known as Central Asset Recovery Professionals, or CARP — after the bottom-feeding fish — and spent about $60,000 to acquire $15 million worth of debt for less than a penny on the dollar. Rather than trying to collect, Oliver partnered with the non-profit RIP Medical Debt to relieve it.”

Rolling Stone
Watch John Oliver Relieve $15 Million in Debt
“‘Last Week Tonight’ host trumped Oprah with giveaway during segment about horrors of debt-buying industry.”

Us Magazine
John Oliver Buys, Relieves $15 Million In Medical Debt
“Step aside, Oprah. John Oliver made giveaway history on Sunday, June 5. The Last Week Tonight host relieved 9,000 people of $15 million in medical debt. The move was an attempt to shed light on shady debt collectors who take advantage of customers.”

The Washington Post
John Oliver just made talk show history by relieving nearly $15 million nearly $15 million worth of debt

“John Oliver is known for demystifying complicated issues to get his “Last Week Tonight” audience riled up…. But Oliver did more than educate last night.”

Also notice:

ABC on Twitter
About 9,000 people with delinquent medical bills have debts relieved courtesy of John Oliver

Accounts Recovery
Organization That Received “Last Week Tonight” Portfolio Shares Their Experience, Outlook

The Consumerist
John Oliver Buys $15M In Medical Debt, Then Relieves It

FierceHealthCare
Editor’s Corner: John Oliver’s Medical Debt Investigation Raises Questions about Hospital Business Practices

Forbes
John Oliver Buys And Relieves $15 Million In Medical Debt: But Is The Relief Taxable? [No: RIP is a charity.]

Good News Network
John Oliver Buys $15 Million In Medical Debt, Then Relieves It on TV.

Reddit
June 5, 2016 – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver discussion thread

TaxProfBlog
The Tax Consequences Of John Oliver’s Relief Of $15 Million Of Medical Debt [None: RIP is a charity.]

Time
How to Make Your Debt Disappear Like John Oliver Did