Ohio Church Pays Off $46.5 Million in Medical Debt for More Than 45,000 Families

(TMU) — An Ohio megachurch church recently announced that they paid off a shocking $46.5 million in medical debt for thousands of families in the Greater Cincinnati area.

According to Fox19, Crossroads Church worked with medical debit relief non-profit RIP Medical Debt to pay off $42.8 million in medical debts for 41,233 families in 103 Ohio zip codes as well as $1.9 million in debt for 2,974 Kentucky families, $1.5 million in debt for 503 Tennessee families, and $200,000 for 136 Indiana families.

Senior Pastor Brian Tome told Fox News on Thursday:

“Churches are at our best when we are a blessing to real people in our communities. We’re not here to just have big Sunday meetings.”

In a November 23 sermon, Pastor Tome explained to his congregation the struggle many people in medical debt are facing.

The church used money collected from parishioners who tithed during services.

RIP Medical Debt says this is the largest amount of medical debt they have ever abolished. The New York-based non-profit says that for every $100 donated, $10,000 in medical debts is absolved.

Notifications are being sent by mail in bright yellow envelopes to those receiving the assistance, according to church officials.

Tome told his congregation:

“They’ll get a letter that says, ‘Congratulations, your debt has been paid because someone loves you and there is a God that has not forgotten about you.'”

Last weekend Pastor Tome read a special message to his congregation:

“I received this piece of mail in this bright yellow envelope and started to throw it away. But when I saw that it said your medical debt has been paid, I thought, ‘seriously, wait a minute.’ When I read it I got emotional because I have been so needing a break with getting my credit together. I really appreciate the gift.“

Around 137.1 million Americans are struggling with medical debt while nearly one quarter of all Americans have no emergency savings to tap into in the event of a medical emergency.

Almost 30 million Americans do not have health insurance coverage.

By Emma Fiala | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com