(MintPress) – “We want a different world where people have access to affordable health care,” said Laura Hanna, a representative for the Rolling Jubilee project to Mint Press News. More than 62 percent of personal bankruptcy cases in the United States are caused because health is treated as a commodity and not a guaranteed human right.
The Rolling Jubilee Project, a group of volunteers working to abolish medical debt while advocating for a new health care system, launched a public campaign last week to push for systemic reform. Since beginning work in 2012, the group has helped to eliminate $1.1 million of medical debt belonging to 1,064 people across the United States. By buying up debt for pennies on the dollar and simply forgiving the debtor, average citizens can help reduce the billions held by investment groups and alleviate financial strife for thousands.
This week, they are taking to the streets of New York and other major cities to declare a health emergency and raise the issue to the public. “We simply find it immoral for Americans to be financially ruined because they got sick. When they do get sick we have a society that preys on this vulnerability rather than helping,” Hanna said.
A failing medical system
After the 2008 financial crisis, the United States still boasts the world’s strongest economy based upon Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite being the richest country on earth, the U.S. remains one of the few countries where universal health care is not a guaranteed right of citizenships.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) survey or national health care systems, the U.S. pays the most per capita for health care but ranks just 38th in terms of the quality of care patients receive. Dozens of other countries, including France, Italy, Japan and Greece have better health care at a fraction of the cost.
Included in the comprehensive U.N. study were factors such as include infant mortality, life expectancy and cost to patients, among other factors.
Nearly 50 million Americans go without basic health care, leading to thousands of deaths each year simply due to the lack of coverage. Many of these ailments remain utterly treatable.
“I honestly don’t know how much more I can endure,” wrote Leslie Elder wrote earlier this year in a Facebook message to her friend Liz Jacobs. “I am fighting for [Medicaid] and disability. I can’t work I sit in bed I cry a lot. I am still fighting for health care and still fighting foreclosure.”
Elder, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but died July 2012 after being repeatedly denied treatment.
“I am so upset but perhaps it was not meant to be. I don’t know anything anymore,” said Elder, before the 63-year-old passed away.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) promoted by President Barack Obama is expected to close many of the loopholes that would deny individuals basic coverage because of preexisting conditions. For Rolling Jubilee, ACA lacks the teeth to fundamentally change a systemic problem.
“Generally speaking it’s time to talk about medical debt and raise awareness about the for profit health care industry,” Hanna said. “We have a social media campaign. In New York City, people have been fighting against increased insurance premiums.”
“We think that health care is a right. We think that single payer is an important step, but is not the end goal. We want a different world where people have access to affordable health care.”
Advocates for reform believe that the billions Americans owe in medical debt for mediocre health care should be abolished as part of an advocacy for systemic health reform — the Rolling Jubilee project leads debt forgiveness initiatives.
A nation of debt
“Sixty-two percent of bankruptcy is because of medical debt. It’s our position that people shouldn’t be financially ruined because they get sick,” Hanna said. “Our private health insurance is providing us a false sense of security. 50 million people have no insurance, 20 million have trouble paying for medical bills.”
Like other investment groups, Rolling Jubilee buys debt for pennies on the dollar, helping the group work with the broader Strike Debt campaign — that has cleared more than $11 million in debt by raising just $570,000 in donations. Instead of requiring repayment, the investment in debt is immediately forgiven, helping thousands regain a semblance of financial solvency.
In 2009 alone, 1.5 million U.S. citizens were forced to declare bankruptcy because of unpayable medical bills.
In response to the epidemic of medical debt, the Rolling Jubilee project declared a week of action March 16-23 where the group is planning public demonstrations across the U.S. and online protests declaring a “health care emergency.” Prior successes of debt campaigns shows that common citizens can fight back and win in the uphill battle to eliminate the billions owed to private insurance companies.
The upcoming week of action builds upon previous campaigns, including a telethon organized November 2012 as part of the “People’s Bailout.” Employing the help of celebrities, including comedian Janeane Garofalo, the broader Strike Debt campaign helped raise millions. For organizers, health care remains a fundamental concern.