MAPLE GROVE -- The mysterious letter arrived in a mailbox in Ashdown, Arkansas, a small community of 4,000 about nine miles from the Texas border, carrying an opening line that must have seemed jarring.
Please do not throw away — important for your records!
With a Connecticut return address belonging to "RIP Medical Debt," the letter stated that the recipient's medical expenses owed to Wadley Regional Medical Center had been completely wiped out. It was not a hoax. They were all clear; no longer would they have to drown in hospital bills.
"This debt has been canceled and abolished," the letter stated, "with funds donated by the Congregation of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Maple Grove, Minnesota."
A total of 472 families across Arkansas and Texas received identical letters, informing them they would no longer have to pay hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars in medical debt, thanks to a seemingly random church located almost 1,000 miles away. Surely, they must have all had some questions: Why Minnesota? And why Lord of Life Lutheran Church?
Allow Rev. Dr. Joel Wight Hoogheem, the church's lead pastor, to explain.
"It's just part of who Lord of Life is," Wight Hoogheem said. "These are the folks that we, as a church, feel are called to serve."
It all began in August 2019, when a Lord of Life member informed Wight Hoogheem about "RIP Medical Debt," a non-profit known for recent partnerships with HBO's John Oliver and NBA star Trae Young.
Although the premise of RIP Medical Debt is somewhat complicated, the group — led by two former debt collectors familiar with the industry — buys debt from hospitals and providers on the secondary market with funds donated by celebrities, churches and other generous organizations. They purchase the debt at a cheap, "pennies-on-the-dollar" price, meaning rather modest donations can eliminate an extremely high amount of debt for vulnerable populations that cannot pay the bills.
After a fundraising campaign in the fall of 2019, Lord of Life members came up with $15,000 — and they were stunned to learn in December that the donation helped destroy $1.6 million in medical debt for 472 families down south. Medical bills for heart attacks, accidents and strokes, suffered by the poor and the elderly, had all been forgiven.
"It was moving. It nearly brought me to tears," Wight Hoogheem said. "It's just mind-blowing."
Dozens of churches across the U.S. have decided to join forces with RIP Medical Debt in recent months, but Lord of Life is the first in Minnesota to do so.
Millions of people owe some form of debt to health providers, sometimes with devastating consequences: A majority of American bankruptices can be attributed to medical debt.
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"It wreaks havoc on their credit scores and makes it really hard to get a leg up," Wight Hoogheem said. "It was humbling to be a part of something that is so life-changing for so many families."
Lord of Life wanted to assist Minnesota families with medical debt, but state protections limit debt purchasing. That's partly why the church's donations helped families in high-need areas of Arkansas and Texas. The congregation does, however, plan to raise more money in 2020 and hopes that Minnesota families can be a part of their efforts.
RIP Medical Debt has signaled that the aid may potentially be directed locally next time.
"They're very confident that there will be some Minnesota debt in our next round, which is exciting," Wight Hoogheem said. "When it comes close to home, there's a deeper connection there."