Forum, Undue Medical Debt
Undue Medical Debt is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit effort to raise funds to erase all medical debt – more than $2 million – currently in collections in the First Congressional District of Michigan. In the near term, the goal is to erase medical debt for more than 1,350 families. The purpose of the project is to raise awareness of the impending threats to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in terms of lower Medicaid enrollment and eligibility (more than 10 million fewer people are expected to be eligible), decreased access to health insurance coverage, increased costs of health insurance, reduced access to health care and financial threats to rural hospitals.
The presenter will be Valorie Troesch, a retired attorney who has worked in a number of capacities at Michigan Tech. Currently, she is a volunteer for several local organizations including court-ordered mediation services for UPCAP, the Barbara Gundlach Women’s Shelter, Isle Royale National Park Archives, Keweenaw Indivisible, and the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country. She is also an active member of the Houghton County Democratic Party, has run for local office three times and works with other candidates running for state, local, and federal office.