Tulsa couple Mark and Mona Whitmire delivered a rare gift during this pandemic: forgiving qualified medical debt for the entire county.Â
That is about $28 million in debt wiped out for 28,321 families. The families are receiving notifications this week that their old medical bills are gone.Â
Those amounts had been plaguing Tulsa County's most struggling patients for years.
It isn't free health care. Many of those patients had already paid substantial co-pays, deductibles and costs toward high health care costs. They just couldn't keep up.Â
Individuals being helped earn less than twice the federal poverty level, have a financial hardship or are insolvent.
Some may even be hit hard during a pandemic with the loss of employment or becoming sick.
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"The timing of this good news comes when many Tulsa County residents are struggling to pay rent and buy groceries. The pandemic continues to jeopardize resources and marginalize opportunities for the under-served," said Mona Whitmire.
The Whitmires launched the project in partnership with the RIP Medical Debt nonprofit about eight months ago. It targets debt that has been sold by medical providers to debt collectors, and then sold again at least once.Â
RIP Medical Debt buys the debt for pennies on each dollar owed. Then, cancels it.
In the campaign, individuals donated amounts from $10 to $10,000, and the Morningcrest Healthcare Foundation contributed the highest amount with a $242,000 grant.
"All of which have been a wonderful blessing to reaching 100% of our goal," said Mona Whitmire. "I believe that so many people can put themselves in the position of facing overwhelming medical debt and understand the consequences and weight of that debt on their ability to take care of themselves and their family.
"Also, because a contribution of $1 can abolish $100 in medical debt, it gives everyone an opportunity to make a difference. That is a powerful influence I believe."
In the county, families receiving forgiveness live in 11 different cities. Most patients live in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, but some live in small municipalities such as Leonard and Mounds.Â
"As a champion of increased access to health care, I'm very pleased that Morningcrest can contribute to this unique campaign to lift up Tulsa residents burned by unpayable medical debts," said Greg Foland, executive director of the Morningcrest Healthcare Foundation in a written statement.Â
"Helping over 28,000 families, during a global health crisis no less, is a scale of impact our foundation couldn't pass up. We look forward to being continued stewards of our community along with this campaign's other generous donors."
RIP Medical Debt campaigns have been held in cities across the nation and have eliminated about $1 billion in debt. The nonprofit notes that 66% of bankruptcies are medical-related and 25% of credit card debt is for health care.
"Our campaign is one of only a few across the country to reach 100% of debt abatement," said Mona Whitmire.
But, the cycle of medical debt doesn't end. Just as one patient pays off a long-lingering bill, another will incur a high medical bill taking years to pay off.
The Whitmires are continuing the Tulsa County Medical Debt Campaign with the goal of paying off qualified debt annually.Â
Tulsa County is the first campaign through RIP Medical Debt to initiate this type of ongoing effort to forgive qualified debt as it accumulates.
"Mark and I will continue fundraising for the campaign in 2020," said Mona Whitmire.
But, starting in 2021, the campaign will be led by the Albert Schweitzer Fellows for Life. The Schweitzer Fellowship is at the University of Tulsa Oxley College of Health and Sciences.
Former TU President Dr. Gerard Clancy spearheaded the effort to bring the fellowship to campus in 2015 to address health inequities in the city. It was part of his lifelong focus on community medicine and service to the underserved.Â
"Historically, the fellows have not taken on a project after their initial 12-month service program. So by leading this campaign, it is building their brand in our community and fulfilling the mission of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship," said Mona Whitmire.
Ideally, medical debt would be better addressed through health care reforms to a more affordable and understandable system. In the way are elected officials, lobbyists, bureaucrats and for-profit companies.Â
While those leaders fail Americans, people like the Whitmires inspire us.Â
The Whitmires are making huge, life-changing differences in the lives of complete strangers. By doing so, they are making Tulsa County stronger and healthier.Â
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 Q&A: Filing unemployment claims amid virus-related job losses
Q&A: Filing unemployment claims amid virus-related job losses
How long does it take to get the benefits?
Typically, the wait time from the start of the process to when the applicant receives benefits is 12 to 14 days after they are approved. The approval letter could come up to 20 days after applying.
On March 19, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an order that temporarily suspended the one-week waiting period before unemployment benefits can be paid.
What if I still technically have a job?
Employees who are not formally laid off but have their hours reduced to zero can still apply for benefits.
Full-time employees whose hours are reduced to less than 32 hours are considered part-time and eligible to file for benefits under certain conditions.
How long can I receive benefits?
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission announced on July 27 that those who have maxed out their state benefits may now continue to receive regular state unemployment benefits for up to an additional 13 weeks.
Traditionally, those out-of-work may claim unemployment insurance benefits for up to 26 weeks per year.
What if I need additional assistance with my claim?
Assistance can be found at OESC’s 27 regional offices, which are continuing to see claimants in person — with masks required and social distancing in effect. Regional office staff also can assist claimants over the phone via their local office number.
Click here to see all American Job Center locations in the state.
How many Oklahomans filed for unemployment during the pandemic?
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission has experienced record-setting or higher-than-average unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state unemployment rate was 6.6% in June after peaking in April at 13.7%. The unemployment rate in May was 12.6%. An estimated 116,602 were considered out of work in June; as of October, 884,252 initial claims for jobless benefits have been filed in Oklahoma.
