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:

Conversation with Thomas Legrand

Thomas Legrand is the Lead Technical Advisor for the UNDP-convened Conscious Food Systems Alliance (CoFSA). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and has 20 years of experience in sustainable land use, climate change, sustainable finance, leadership, and developing inner capacities...

Sweet City’: the Costa Rica suburb that gave citizenship to bees, plants and trees

From Patrick Greenfield / The Guardian: Curridabat, a city in Costa Rica has extended citizenship to the flora and fauna of the city (most notably pollinators) in order to enhance efforts to create more green spaces and healthier local ecosystems....

4-Day Workweek Boosted Workers’ Productivity By 40%, Microsoft Japan Says

From Bill Chappell / NPR: Microsoft Japan experimented with a 4-day work week over the summer. Employees enjoyed three-day weekends but received normal paychecks. The company reported a 40% boost in productivity. Read the original story here. Read more work-focused...

Conversation with Deepa Iyer

Deepa Iyer is the co-founder of Ayeko Farms, an initiative focused on sustainable agriculture and building community resilience through farming practices. She works to promote environmental sustainability and social equity by fostering deeper connections between communities and the land. Deepa...

Microfinance helps Indian women borrow – with dignity

From Annie Banerji / Christian Science Monitor: Microfinance institutions in India are providing low-cost loans to women in remote areas who typically only have access to loan sharks. The women are using the money to break poverty cycles and start their...

Resource-rich countries find it pays to pay landholders to protect their land

From Dimitri Selibas / ENSIA: Guatemala’s reforestation programs pay farmers to keep their lands forested instead of clearing them for farming. The annual $380 payment each participant receives for 5 to 10 years comes from the general taxes collected by...