Struggling with medical debt? There are relief options: "There's no shame in this"

For families already feeling the financial squeeze, medical debt can pile up, even with insurance. But managing, negotiating or forgiving that debt is possible thanks to some nonprofits providing relief.

For Brenda Folska-Mercil, it started after bariatric surgery in 2021 and the cost of an expensive medication her daughter needed.

"The debt just started to gain more and more every month. I thought that I was headed under control. And then, you know, the next month would come and I wasn't seeing any light at the tunnel," Folska-Mercil said.

The stress grew as the debt did.

"I looked at selling my car, what clothes I could sell. I already had a second job so I was like, at the maximum that I possibly could be," she said.

She even considered bankruptcy. Instead she found help through the nonprofit Money Management International, which helped her enroll in a debt management plan which she used to pay off what she owed.

But her situation reflects a much bigger issue. Medical debt makes up about 14% of all consumer debt in Minnesota, and it's still the leading cause of bankruptcy.

Jared Walker is the founder of the nonprofit Dollar For, which helps patients apply for hospital financial assistance programs.

"When you have a medical emergency, a lot of times you have a financial emergency," Walker said. "Almost every single hospital in America has a financial assistance or charity care policy that says, if you are within a certain income range, the hospital will actually help you with your hospital bills. They will either reduce or, in some cases, completely forgive the medical bills."

Dollar For helps people check eligibility and apply for charity care for free online. Walker says too many people assume they won't qualify.

"There's no shame in this. This is everything to do with, like, a bad system, nothing that you have done wrong or some failure on your part," he said. "So like, you know, go see if, go see if you're eligible. Like, ask the questions. Ask for help."

For Folska-Mercil, asking for help made all the difference.

"It was probably one of the most amazing feelings to have that debt paid off," Folska-Mercil said.