In the past 40 years, medical costs have doubled, insurance copays and deductibles have spiked, and bankruptcy rates have quadrupled, creating an avalanche of destructive medical debt. More than 60% of bankruptcies in America have medical debt as a root cause. The effects of high healthcare costs are especially dire in Ohio. A 2019 study found that 35% of Ohio adults struggled to pay their medical bills.

RIP Medical Debt uses your donations to purchase bundled medical debt portfolios on the secondary debt market and then forgives that debt at pennies to the dollar.

When debt relief recipients open the yellow envelope from RIP, they are told that their debt has been bought by a third party and erased with no strings attached. They owe nothing on the debt and face no tax penalty.

GCC is launching a medical debt relief campaign that is open to GCC member congregations and supporters to contribute toward a goal of eliminating millions of dollars of medical debt for persons in the city of Cleveland and throughout Cuyahoga County. 

To learn how you and your congregation can donate to the medical debt relief campaign visit this website:  

https://ripmedicaldebt.org/campaign/gcc-color-of-health-campaign/?

We can really make a difference!