These Local Governments Are Using Federal Aid to Cancel Medical Debt

From Oscar Perry Abello / Next City: With funding from city governments, the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt acquires and cancels medical debt by negotiating directly with hospitals. The only requirement is being under 400% of the federal poverty line and no application is necessary.

Click here to read the full story on Next City.

Issue Areas:

Health and Wellbeing, Medical Debt

Impact Areas:

Equity, Health and Wellness

Actors:

Government, Nonprofit / NGO

Communities Served:

—

Strategies:

Easing Economic Burdens for Individuals, Reallocating Government / Public Financing

Success Factors:

Addressing Underlying Issues, Meeting People Where They Are At, Practicing Human Centered Design, Providing Cash Instead Of Goods/Services, Resilience, Using Creative Financing

Geographic Region:

North America

Countries:

United States

Date:

November 22, 2022

More Resources:

Portland group works to make wealth redistribution a reality through real estate

From Tiffany Camhi / OPB: Volunteers of the PDX Housing Solidarity Project are working to redistribute generational wealth through homeownership in Portland. The project connects people with ample resources to Black and Indigenous homebuyers and helps facilitate cash gifts, no-interest...

A Simple Fix Lifts Single Moms Out of Poverty in India’s Slums

From MaryLou Costa / Reasons to Be Cheerful: Fund a Mom gives 40 single mothers in Jaipur, India, $60 a month with no strings attached. The guaranteed income program helps them cover necessary expenses giving them the breathing room to...

Conversation with Alison Guzman

Alison Guzman is the Country Program Co-Director of MAPLE Microdevelopment Chile. As the co-director of a team based in Wallmapu (Mapuche Ancestral lands), they apply decolonizing methodologies, where indigenous local knowledge and local wisdom-based systems are prioritized to enhance an...

Can Guaranteed Income Prevent Gentrification?

From Oscar Perry Abello / NextCity: In Louisville, community organizers are betting that a guaranteed income program will reduce community violence in disinvested neighborhoods – and protect against displacement of residents. Read the original story here. Find other articles about...

Universal basic income transfers better than subsidies; Madhya Pradesh model shows improvement in living standards

From Sunil Jain / The Financial Express: SEWA-INBI pilots a basic universal income program for two villages in Madhya Pradesh. These funds enabled residents to pay for facilities and electricity in their homes, buy better cooking fuel, increase the weight...

Conversation with Huberth Méndez

Huberth Méndez is a multifaceted Costa Rican professional with a rich background in architecture, education, and research, with extensive experience spanning public institutions, private sector engagements, and non-governmental organizations. Through his work, he has pioneered initiatives aimed at challenging entrenched...