A Church in Iowa Just Paid Off $5 Million in Medical Debt

Talk about a Christmas miracle!

According to an article from Newsweek, Capitol Hill Lutheran Church in Des Moines did a good deed for a TON of Iowans this holiday season. They teamed up with the non-profit organization RIP Medical Debt, which "abolishes large amounts of medical debt after purchasing it at a discount from collection agencies" for Americans below the poverty line. The Des Moines Register says that through that non-profit, they were able to pay off five MILLION dollars in medical debt for about $8,000!

Reverend Minna Bothwell at Capitol Hill said in a Facebook video that the church was able to pay off all of Iowa's medical debt that RIP Medical Debt had access to, so now they're expanding their efforts into the state of Missouri. The church was hoping to raise $15,000 by the end of the year to help pay off the debts of our Midwest neighbors, but they have already far surpassed that goal! As of this morning, the campaign has raised over $30,000 and is still going strong! The official fundraising website reads:

"At Capitol Hill Lutheran Church we firmly believe that when one part of the community is struggling, we all struggle, and this means we must help be part of the solution."

If you'd like to contribute to the fundraiser, you can donate online HERE, or by sending a check to:

RIP Medical Debt
80 Theodore Fremd Ave.
Rye, NY 10580

Just be sure to write "Capitol Hill LC" on the memo line!