CLEVELAND, Ohio — WEWS Channel 5 investigative reporter Jonathan Walsh wants to help wipe out mounting medical debt for residents in Northeast Ohio with a new initiative the station is calling “Diagnosis Debt.”
Channel 5 collaborated with RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit that to date has squashed $715 million in medical debt for around 240,000 Americans, according to a news release. Channel 5 donated $15,000 that led to relieving $1.5 million in medical expenses for local residents.
Walsh started reporting on outrageous medical bills people face back in August. He was able to help some by tearing through yards of red tape. One of the biggest problems for some people was understanding what’s being asked of them. He was able to connect debtors with bill collectors, hospitals and doctors. But joining forces with RIP Medical Debt has helped boost the mission, he said.
The station kicked off the effort Tuesday morning on “Good Morning Cleveland” to help residents understand how it works and the station’s goal. This will continue throughout the day on all of the station’s live broadcasts.
RIP Medical Debt takes the lead in searching the area to find people who qualify.
“What happens is, RIP scours the area to see what debt is available they can buy as cheap as possible. So, they can get more bang for their buck, like any business,” says Walsh in a phone interview.
“They hope to forgive as many people their debt as possible.
"So, with Channel 5’s donation of $15,000, $1.5 million will help around 800 people clear up their medical debt.”
The letters will be mailed out in yellow envelopes with Channel 5’s logo. Inside, recipients will get details on how the endeavor works and what they need to do.
The station has no power in choosing who benefits. It’s what’s available, and it’s all at random. They don’t know who’s getting the envelopes. The station composes the letters, and RIP sends them out.
If you didn’t receive a letter, there’s still hope. A large portion went out Oct. 7, but another wave of letters will be mailed at a later date.
Channel 5′s effort is ongoing. Walsh will continue to investigate what he can to help people with confusing medical bills and debt.
There likely are other organizations in Northeast Ohio that are making similar efforts to help those buried in medical expenses.