In medical debt? Holly Springs family shares how to get thousands forgiven

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Holly Springs family was able to wipe away thousands of dollars in medical debt. It's financial help they had no idea existed, and they are now sharing their story to help others.

Medical debt is daunting as it's tough to catch up on -- especially if the bills continue to roll in.

Elaine Bryant couldn't get ahead of their medical debt.

"Even though we have an HSA, even if we max it out every year, we run out every year and we're like we're going to do what we need to do for him," Bryant said speaking of her 15-year-old son.

He has epilepsy and between hospital stays and expensive tests, even with insurance, the family has accumulated more than $7,000 of medical debt from a local hospital.

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"We were on this payment plan of $200 a month, never really making a dent because every year we're adding more debt. I would lay awake at night thinking about what can I do to help offset some."

When researching options, she learned about Dollar For, a non-profit, that helps patients fill out and submit hospital financial assistance applications, also known as charity care based on income. According to Dollar For, to date, it has helped eliminate more than $50 million in medical debt.

Bryant decided to sign up. It took a few months of back and forth working with a representative for Dollar For, but Bryant said eventually the non-profit helped get the hospital to write off about 70% of the medical debt. That totaled up to about $4,900.

Bryant said she was able to then pay the outstanding balance.

"That was a big relief knowing that here we are we're at a clean slate."

If you have medical debt from a hospital, you can see if you qualify for charity care. It is based on income, and Dollar For does help you see if you're even eligible. If you are, you do have to prepare and submit an application with the hospital where you have the debt.

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