Why two companies are paying off $225 million in medical debt for 176,000 people
CBSN
Health care company Nomi Health said on Tuesday it is teaming with charity RIP Medical Debt to pay off $225 million in overdue medical bills for 176,000 Americans. Those people will receive letters over the next few weeks alerting them to the debt forgiveness.
The effort comes as medical debt has ballooned in the U.S., with overdue bills snowballing during the pandemic. Such indebtedness can wreak havoc on household finances, leading to garnished wages, liens on homes and cars, ruined credit, and personal bankruptcies. It also often leads to hassles with debt collectors, which buy overdue health care bills from hospitals and other institutions for pennies on the dollar, banking that they'll earn a profit if they can recoup even a fraction of the charges.
Nomi Health, which was founded in 2019 and runs COVID-19 testing sites in states including Utah and Florida, said it is spending $2 million to purchase the $225 million in medical debt, reflecting the deep discount that occurs after late bills are handed off to collectors. The 176,000 people who will have their medical debt paid off are located in four states — Colorado, Florida, Nebraska and Utah — and earn less than twice the poverty line, or about $53,000 or less annually for a family of four.
