Crushing Medical Debt @ VCU

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About us

We're a group of undergraduate students at VCU spreading awareness and increasing utilization of medical debt relief. 
We aim to make all patients have a better experience within healthcare by preventing medical debt or aiding in the process of waiving medical debt should it occur.

Impact

As of October 2023, we have aided in the submission of upwards of $85,000 of medical debt to be considered through charity care programs, and over $15,000 of this debt has been waived!

Dollar For

Dollar For is a national non-profit that assists patients in navigating financial assistance policies at non-profit hospitals.
Our members work to spread the word about Dollar For to patients in the Central VA/Richmond area.

Learn more about Dollar For here.

Mission

Our mission is to bring student volunteers to the non-profit Dollar For, aid in assisting Americans in navigating financial assistance policies at non-profit hospitals, and work with other non-profits or members within our community to better healthcare and quality of life for all.

Why Medical Debt?

Unpaid medical bills are the LARGEST source of debt found in collections in the United States* 
 with over 50% of hospitals in the US holding a non-profit status, 
financial assistance policies
(that non-profit hospitals must offer due to their non-profit status)
are underutilized.

1/2 of U.S. adults are concerned that a major health event could result in bankruptcy, and 1/4 report they'd need to borrow to pay a $500 hospital bill. **

According to a poll conducted by Gallup (n=1007) conducted in 2020, American adults are increasingly concerned that a major health event may lead to bankruptcy, with 50% of Americans reporting so in 2020, up from 45% in 2019.

6

Officers

157

Members

20

Events

16

Emails/Newsletters

  • Sources/Useful Links

*https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/upshot/medical-debt-americans-medicaid.html

**https://news.gallup.com/poll/317948/fear-bankruptcy-due-major-health-event.aspx

***https://news.gallup.com/poll/248129/westhealth-gallup-us-healthcare-cost-crisis-press-release.aspx

Our Team

Chris Jones Profile

Chris Jones

Social Media Manager
Kevin Guillen Profile

Kevin Guillen

Executive Treasurer
Rebecca Gunnin Profile

Rebecca Gunnin

President and Founder
Andreas Voyages Profile

Andreas Voyages

Vice-President
Marlena Ramlatchan Profile

Marlena Ramlatchan

Secretary
Sara Do Profile

Sara Do

Executive Social Chair

Member Benefits

Members garner volunteering hours while working to resolve a systemic issue within the United States. The development of personal skills (such as effective communication, organization, and time management) is a crucial step of our initiation process. We offer many leadership and support positions that you can run for that do not require previous experience.

Events & Activities

Be the first to know about what we have planned and add our group calendar to your schedule.

Exclusive Resources

Get our newsletter and stay in the loop.

Connnections

Meeting new students with shared interest

E: crushingmedicaldebtatvcu@gmail.com
 P:

Crushing Medical Debt @ VCU

907 Floyd Avenue
Richmond VA 23284
United States