(PHOENIX) — This morning, Healthcare Rising Arizona collected more than a half million signatures supporting its plan to provide Arizona relief from predatory debt collection to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. The law requires 237,645 signatures. The ballot measure would protect Arizonans by shielding more of our assets and belongings from debt collectors and limiting the interest rate on medical debt to three percent per year.
The Reverend Dr. William Lyons, a strong supporter of the measure, said, “No one should lose their home because they can’t afford to pay a medical bill.
“Predatory debt collection practices can trap Arizona families in a vicious cycle of debt and make it impossible to break free. If someone gets sick or gets hurt and can’t pay the bills, they could lose their car. If they lose their car, they can’t get to work. If they can’t work, they can lose their house.
“This ballot measure protects working-class and middle-class families from losing their homes,” said Martha French, a member of Healthcare Rising Arizona. “The Predatory Debt Collection Protection Act includes common-sense updates to bring state law intoline with current financial realities, like ensuring protections adjust to inflation and cost of living increases so that when home prices go up, protections increase too.”
For each valid volunteer signature collected to qualify the Predatory Debt Collection Protection Act for the ballot, Healthcare Rising Arizona will donate to RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit whose purpose is to strengthen communities by abolishing financially burdensome medical debt. Each signature gathered by a volunteer helps relieve $100 in unpayable medical debt owed by Arizonans. Healthcare Rising Arizona will donate $35,000 to pay off medical debt for patients and families, which comes out to $3.5 million in forgiven debt in the state. More information can be found at ripmedicaldebt.org.
Healthcare Rising Arizona is a membership organization of everyday Arizonans – patients and caregivers, family, friends, and neighbors – dedicated to improving our standard of health and living. It has over 1,200 contributing members in Arizona.
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Paid for by Healthcare Rising Arizona. Not authorized by any candidate.