Eliminating Medical Debt: Using Patient Advocacy to Drive Policy Change with Jared Walker

In this episode of Cause & Purpose, we hear from Jared Walker, the founder and CEO of Dollar For. Dollar For is a nonprofit organization that helps tackle the issue of medical debt in the United States by advocating for patients and using patient data to drive policy change. Inspired by personal experience, Jared shares how Dollar For began as Dollar for Portland, crowdfunding money to support people with unexpected medical expenses. Now, they help eligible patients take advantage of charity care, a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires nonprofit hospitals to waive fees for low-income patients. With medical debt being a significant cause of bankruptcies in the U.S., Dollar For is making a massive impact and aims to eliminate as much medical debt as possible. Tune in to learn more about Jared's journey and the work of Dollar For.

"Being able to buy the repair for the wheelchair accessible van, or buy the medical equipment that they can't afford, or pay the hospital bill that's gone to collections, is a pretty freaking big deal for people."

Topics covered:

[00:04:35] Healthcare system frustrations.

[00:07:53] Inspiration for action.

[00:14:48] Community response to launch.

][00:22:09] Discovering Charity Care.

[00:23:52] Frustration with the healthcare system.

[00:32:06] Pursuing forgiveness of medical fees.

[00:35:27] Childbirth as ineligible elective procedure.

[00:41:14] Key metrics for impact.

[00:44:14] Opportunities from the program.

[00:56:08] Mental health organizations.

Links mentioned:

https://dollarfor.org/

https://altruous.org

Guest links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-walker-b6865397/