Nearly 700 Fort Bend County residents no longer have to worry about how to pay off medical debt, thanks to the financial support of a local church.Â
For the second straight year, Crossbridge Church at 1049 Eldridge Rd. in Sugar Land partnered with RIP Medical Debt, a New York-based nonprofit, to purchase and forgive $1.9 million in medical debt for 688 individuals who earn less than twice the federal poverty level, or $26,500.
The average amount of medical debt forgiven per person was $3,000.Â
âThis could be a single mom with three kids making $50,000,â said Diego Armendariz, executive pastor at Crossbridge. âThat could be a crushing burden. Thatâs the difference between making rent and paying this off.âÂ