2023-11-18 23:44:40
A New York City woman who died from cancer has raised enough money to erase millions of dollars in medical debt with a posthumous plea for help.
Key points:
Casey McIntyre’s husband said they saw “terrifying” bills during her cancer treatmentMillions of Americans owe thousands of dollars in medical debt Ms McIntyre started planning her debt-buying campaign following almost dying in May
Casey McIntyre told followers in a social media message posted by her husband she had arranged to buy the medical debt of others as a way of celebrating her life.
Ms McIntyre wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “If you’re reading this I have passed away.
“I loved each and every one of you with my whole heart and I promise you, I knew how deeply I was loved,” the 38-year-old wrote.
The posts included a link to a fundraising campaign started through the non-profit RIP Medical Debt.
The campaign quickly blew past its $US20,000 ($30,707) goal following the messages were posted by Ms McIntyre’s husband, Andrew Rose Gregory.
It had raised regarding $US140,000 ($214,954) just three days later, enough to buy around $US14 million ($21.50 million) in medical debt.
Mr Gregory said his wife had good health insurance and received great care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Even so, the couple saw some “terrifying” charges on paperwork for her care, he said.
“What resonated for me and Casey is, you know, there’s good cancer treatment out there that people can’t afford,” he said.
“Instead of dreaming of a cure for cancer, what if we might just help people who are being crushed by medical debt?”
Millions in the US struggling with medical debt
Patients in the US healthcare system can quickly rack up big bills that push them into debt even if they have insurance.
This is especially true for people who wind up hospitalised or need regular care or prescriptions for chronic health problems.
A 2022 analysis of government data from the non-profit KFF estimates that nearly one in 10 US adults owe at least $US250 ($383.85) in medical debt.
That total of roughly 23 million people includes 11 million who owe more than $US2,000 ($3,070.78).
RIP Medical Debt erases debt purchased from hospitals, other health care providers and the secondary debt market.
It buys millions of dollars of debt in bundles for what it says is a fraction of the original value.
The non-profit says every dollar donated buys regarding $US100 ($153) in debt, and it aims to help people with lower incomes.
Spokesman Daniel Lempert said the organisation has never had a campaign where someone planned for it to start following their death.
Ms McIntyre, who was a book publisher, started treatment for ovarian cancer in 2019. She spent regarding three months in the hospital over the past year, her husband said.
The Brooklyn couple started planning for her memorial and the debt-buying campaign following she almost died in May.
They were inspired by a video they saw of North Carolina churchgoers burning regarding $US3 million ($4.61 million) in medical debt.
This family photo shows Casey McIntyre and her daughter, Grace.(AP: Andrew Rose Gregory )
Ms McIntyre spent the last five months in home hospice care, giving her what Mr Gregory called a “bonus summer.”
She went on beach trips and spent time with their family, including the couple’s 18-month-old daughter, Grace.
“Casey was very, very sick at the end of her life, and she mightn’t finish everything she wanted to finish,” Mr Gregory said.
“But I knew she wanted to do this memorial and debt jubilee. So I set that up and … did it the way I thought she would have wanted.”
AP
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