Foundation clears $51 million in medical debt for Southwest Virginians

BLACKSBURG — More than 35,000 Southwest Virginia households are about to receive a collective $51.3 million in good news.Blacksburg, Virginia-based nonprofit The Secular Society announced Tuesday that it has bought up $51,348,345 in medical debt for 35,007 families and individuals across 18 counties across the region.That debt will now be erased and expunged from recipients' credit reports, TSS spokesperson Rachel Helton said Thursday."The society's generosity is just a gift and has no tax consequences for those households and persons affected," Helton said.The 19 counties fall within the four westernmost planning districts in Virginia and include Scott, Lee and Wise counties and the city of Norton, Helton said.In dollar and household terms, Scott County will see 887 families and persons become free of $1.225 million in medical debt. Another 997 Lee County households have $1.08 million in debt erased, and 5,409 households in Wise County and Norton will be free of $8.3 million in medical debt.Affected debtors will receive a letter from Undue Medical Debt explaining how much debt was erased."Letters are already in the process of being mailed as of Tuesday," said Helton, "and they all should arrive at their destination within the next week or two."The Secular Society worked with New York-based organization Undue Medical Debt to locate individual debts by ZIP code in Southwest Virginia, said Helton. The Secular Society then used its donations and foundation funds to purchase the debt and abolish it from credit reporting agencies. While TSS and Undue Medical Debt work to help folks and households in need, families and individuals cannot request help directly from the organizations because of limited resources, Helton said. The TSS action targeted households where family income was less than four times the federal poverty level, Helton said, and individuals whose medical debt was 5% or more of their annual income.The May debt abolishment marks TSS's third and largest medical debt relief effort since 2024, said Helton."Medical debt matters more in rural areas than in larger urban areas," said Helton. "Southwest Virginia has lower income households, lower median incomes, higher rates of chronic illnesses and a lot of economic fragility."Medical costs and travel distances can discourage many people to go to a doctor until a medical condition worsens, Helton said, and that can bring higher medical bills."Part of the idea of this program is, by freeing up that debt, it will allow someone to buy food and medicine they need and to be able to access medical care without that debt hanging over them," Helton said. "Debt is linked to mental health through anxiety and worry. This program helps by restoring peace and dignity for people." Online:- The Secular Society - http://thesecularsociety.org- Undue Medical Debt - https://unduemedicaldebt.org