Donation Eliminates $2.65 million in Medical Debt Across Texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Today, Amplify Credit Union announced a donation that eliminated $2.65 million in past due medical bills for 2,295 people across 60 counties in Texas. In 2022, Newsweek named Texas the state with the most medical debt which inspired Amplify to promote financial independence, a pillar of its mission.

No one should face financial ruin or the vicious cycle medical debt can create simply because they need medical care.

—Kendall Garrison, CEO

“No one should face financial ruin or the vicious cycle medical debt can create simply because they need medical care,” said Kendall Garrison, chief executive officer of Amplify Credit Union. “Our mission is to improve the financial lives of our members and the strength of our community, and the impact of RIP Medical Debt goes straight to the heart of both. We’re proud to support this work and alleviate a heavy burden for our fellow Texans.”

RIP Medical Debt purchases millions of dollars of debt in bundled portfolios at one time, doing so at a fraction of the cost of the debt. Because of this model, each dollar donated to RIP Medical Debt erases an average of $100 of medical debt for those they serve. That enabled RIP Medical Debt to turn Amplify’s donation into more than $2 million dollars in debt forgiveness for the Texans they serve, which includes those who earn less than 4x the federal poverty level or whose debt is 5% or more of their annual income. Those individuals will be notified in the coming weeks they are relieved of their financial obligation and that any negative credit marks associated with it will be abolished, restoring their ability to improve their financial lives.

“We’re very grateful for Amplify Credit Union’s support and leadership in the face of the growing medical debt crisis,” Allison Sesso, RIP president & CEO, said. “Medical debt is especially pervasive in the South; any means of financially empowering people in need is a win for the community and the country.”

According to Kaiser Health News, more than 100 million people in America are impacted by medical debt, including a quarter of adults who owe more than $5,000. Data from the Urban Institute shows that 19% of Texans currently have medical debt, with 21% of the debt attributed to people of color. In addition, the median medical debt in collections for all Texans is $835, with communities of color paying $890.

One in five adults with any amount of debt said they don’t expect to ever pay it off.

One in five adults with any amount of debt said they don’t expect to ever pay it off.

The average amount of individual debt relief provided by Amplify’s donation was $1,174.64 and Garrison stated more partnerships and initiatives are in the works.

“We intend to promote financial inclusion for our members and Central Texans in a multitude of ways. Families never choose to go into medical debt, and if our team can help remove institutional barriers between our community and financial health, then we feel we have an obligation to do so.”

###

About Amplify Credit Union

Amplify Credit Union offers fee-free banking and award-winning lending throughout the state of Texas. In 1967, the organization was founded as the credit union for IBM employees in Austin. Today, it provides digital-first banking and lending services to 60,000 members, including home loans, checking & savings accounts, commercial lending, and more. In addition, Amplify has been named a Top Workplace in Austin for three years in a row, and this year was named a Top 50 Workplace in the USA. The organization is rooted in its mission to improve the financial lives of its members and uses the proceeds from that to provide a safe place to call home for those without. Join us at www.goamplify.com.

About RIP Medical Debt

RIP Medical Debt (RIP) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was founded in 2014 by two former debt collectors. To date RIP has acquired — and abolished — over $7.4 billion of burdensome medical debt, helping over 4.2 million families and addressing a major social determinant of health. RIP purchases debts for a fraction of their face value in bundled portfolios and partners with individuals, faith-based organizations, government, foundations and corporations to empower donors by converting every dollar contributed into $100 of medical debt relief on average.

RIP also partners with hospitals and health systems and physician groups to acquire medical debt for abolishment. To learn more, visit: https://ripmedicaldebt.org