Los Angeles Church To Pay Off $5.3 Million In Medical Debt For Over 5,000 Low-Income Families

Jan 03, 2020 by apost team

The holiday spirit of giving is still being felt in one Los Angeles community. A local church offered to give an incredibly generous present to those in need. The Christian Assembly Church announced that the group was ready to help low-income families and individuals across 28 neighborhoods pay off medical debt. Tom Hughes, the co-lead pastor, announced the churches plan to put $5.3 million towards this endeavor.

Hugh told ABC 7 News that the parishioners of the Christian Assembly Church had been so generous that there are sufficient funds to make such a kind gesture without any strings being attached. He revealed that 28 neighborhoods would be impacted by this announcement.

The Christian Assembly Church has worked with RIP Medical Debt, a non-profit organization, to help eradicate debt in the past. Together, the groups learned that there is collective medical debt throughout these 28 neighborhoods valued at around $5.3 million. Many of those who owe make less than double the current federal poverty line.

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According to ABC7, the Christian Assembly Church collected around $50,000 alone within the past year. They weren't sure what to do with the money, but the church leaders knew that it should be given back to the community.

Ultimately, it was decided that the funds would go towards the amazing Christmas gift that the church was to reveal to the public around Christmas.

Blythe Hill, a member of the Christian Assembly Church, told ABC7 how she would like to be present when someone opens the letter revealing that their debilitating medical debt was paid for entirely.

In the video released to the public, Hughes said that the church was excited to give the gift to members of the congregation. He referenced the generosity of God and told the people in attendance that "God is for" them. "Once we do this, it will end all the harassing phone calls from the debt collectors," Hughes said. "But not only that, we will work with the credit agencies to repair their credit score for the impact of these unpaid medical bills." 

Thanks to the Christian Assembly Church's selfless act, people will see a letter in their mailbox letting them know that any outstanding medical debt has been covered completely. RIP Medical Debt and the church also intend to work with various credit unions to help fix the damage that this crushing medical debt has had on people's credit ratings.

Hughes said that this will help people make a full recovery and avoid becoming homeless. He also noted that more than 5,000 households would be impacted by the gesture.

The Commonwealth Fund recently conducted a survey that found out how many individuals are fighting to pay medical bills and end up accumulating debt as a result.

Currently, 41% of Americans of working age, roughly 72 million people, are facing medical debt or have trouble with medical bills. This percentage is up from 34 in 2005. One of the biggest concerns contributing to medical debt is the high costs of healthcare.

What do you think of this gesture? If you found this article inspiring, show it to a family member or friend who could use a pick-me-up today.