Heywood Healthcare in Gardner is partnering with New York-based nonprofit RIP Medical Debt to eliminate $800,000 in medical debt for 1,100 selected Heywood patients.
RIP Medical Debt works with its clients, which include individuals, companies, and healthcare providers, to eliminate medical debt for people whose household income is below 200% of the federal poverty level, as well as people whose medical debt represents 5% or more of their annual household income.
RIP took ownership of qualifying past-due, non-governmental accounts owed to Heywood. The nonprofit will then eliminate the debt associated with those accounts.
“The pandemic has further exacerbated the financial strain on many households within our region,” said Winfield Brown, president and CEO of Heywood. “It is with the intent of lifting some of that burden off our patients that Heywood Healthcare donated its outstanding qualified medical debt to RIP Medical Debt, and we couldn’t be more pleased.”
Recipients of the debt elimination will receive no tax liability for the relief, which Heywood said is random and cannot be requested.
