The number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States in 2023 was medical debt. Even with insurance coverage, out-of-pocket expenses and emergency care can have a significant impact on personal finances when for relatively minor issues; major issues can be catastrophic. Avoidance of medical debt frequently compels people to ignore small difficulties, which untreated often grow into larger, and more expensive, complaints. Across multiple polls over the past few years an average of 65% of Americans named it one of their greatest fears, and the cause of considerable stress- additionally negatively impacting health. 

On February 20th, Just Harvest presents “Medical Debt: Let’s Prevent and Erase It”, a free community event examining the burden many of us either now carry or dread being shouldered with, and the steps we can take to stay free of it if possible, and manage it if we can’t. 

Councilman Bobby Wilson, representing District 1, has passed legislation to forgive medical debt and ensure reproductive freedom. PA State Representative Arvind Venkat is an emergency doctor who has maintained a commitment to work for accessible and affordable healthcare.  Erin Gabriel is the Government Affairs Representative for PA Health Access Network with a 15 year history of disability and health care advocacy. Together they lead a discussion on existing protections, proposed legislation, and new initiatives tackling the conditions that have, for some, made the potential cost of our health a greater worry than our health itself. They’ll also welcome the stories of attendees on their own experiences with medical debt. 

Just Harvest is a nonprofit organization that fights hunger and food insecurity using public policy and programs to reduce poverty, improve food access, and uplift those in need.

Presented at Colab 18 on Tuesday, February 20th, this event will run from 6-8 pm and is free of charge. Both in-person and Zoom attendance are possible. Preregistration is requested; you can do so here.