After losing his wife to breast cancer and undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, Terry Belk from North Carolina found himself burdened with tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt. Despite having insurance, the nonprofit hospital Atrium Health, which made $5 billion in revenue last year, aggressively pursued the debt. They forced Terry to sign over partial equity in his home and eventually placed a lien on his property. 

Terry shared his story with Community Catalyst and the NC Justice Center to highlight the devastating impact of medical debt. Shortly after his story was featured on NBC News and in local media, Atrium Health announced it would forgive the debt and remove liens on over 11,500 homes, while also revamping their financial assistance policies. 

This is a significant progress for Terry and others in North Carolina whose lives have been disrupted by medical debt and corporate greed. It also underscores the broader issue: 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. are affected by medical debt. 

Awakening the power that exists within communities is crucial for advancing health and economic justice. When communities come together, they can drive significant change, as we’ve seen in the fight against predatory medical debt practices. However, it’s important to recognize that while community action is powerful and necessary, it shouldn’t be the only line of defense. State and federal policymakers have the responsibility to create and enforce policies that prevent these injustices from occurring in the first place. By addressing systemic issues at the policy level, we can ensure that individuals aren’t left to battle these challenges alone.  

This is why the Biden-Harris administration is gaining momentum to take decisive action to protect people from medical debt, including: 

  • Finalizing a CFPB rule to ban all medical debt from credit reports 
  • Banning the promotion of predatory, high-interest deferred interest credit cards in health care settings 
  • Holding non-profit hospitals accountable by ensuring they offer sufficient financial assistance to low-income patients 
  • Curbing the growth of private equity and consolidation in health care, and more 

HIT Strategies polling shows these policies have broad bipartisan support. In response, Community Catalyst has launched the “I Am A Medical Debt Voter” campaign, the first of its kind, to organize and engage those impacted by medical debt. The campaign is centered on stories like Terry’s, Samuel’s, and Sahida’s, and is distributing resources and tools through paid media, digital organizing, and in-person events in key states. 

If you’d like to learn more or speak with someone at Community Catalyst or our partners about the growing movement to end medical debt, please contact jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org.