A church in North Carolina bought and forgave $3.3 million in medical debt within their community, and I'm shook

More than 3,000 citizens of Davidson, Davie and Yadkin counties were relieved of their debt by their own neighbors

I stumbled upon the story about Trinity Moravian Church in North Carolina holding a fundraiser, and raised $15,048. They then partnered with RIP Medical Debt to forgive $3.3 million in medical debt of more than 3,000 citizens within their community. 

Let that sink in. While our medical debt goes into collections and accrues interest, others can purchase that debt for $0.05 on the dollar, and either bill you for the full amount, or…forgive it.

Photo credit The Dispatch

And that’s not all they did. After they forgave the debt, they held a ceremony where people set their bills on fire—oh the catharsis! Imagine battling cancer and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, all to have that eliminated through the generosity of others. Then being able to set those bills ablaze, because no one should have to worry about medical debt when they are fighting any illness that impacts their life expectancy.

I’m writing about this today to highlight the power we hold as a collective. I know that sometimes the things I write about can be a downer, and while I’m incredibly passionate about them and they’re all true, there are also organizations that are, dare I say, revolutionary.

According to the Dispatch, which initially reported this story, The Rev. John Jackman, pastor of Trinity Moravian Church, explained the church’s reasoning, “The medical system is so broken. Most of these families were making a go of it until someone has to go into the hospital for a few days or to the doctor for a serious (medical condition). … We can’t fix the system, so this is something we can do.” Bravo, Rev—we sure can do something about this.

While you cannot purchase specific medical debt, you can purchase a portfolio in a specific area. So Trinity Moravian Church forgave the debt of people who don’t even attend their church, and they sent letters out to all the patients and let them know their debt had been forgiven. What a wonderful idea.

The hyper independent culture in the United States has convinced us that we’re on this journey alone. Human beings are pack animals that rely on each other for survival, and I think it’s really important that we share our experiences with each other, and remove the stigma about talking about money and wealth in America. It’s isolating to struggle to make ends meet when our minimum wage has not been raised since 2009, while inflation is skyrocketing necessities like utility bills and groceries.  

This is exactly what we need to see more of.