ATLANTA / MACON – Three families closely associated with Mercer honored the university and medical school’s founding mission to serve the citizens of rural Georgia by providing more than $ 4.3 million in medical debt to nearly 3,000 people retired in 33 Georgia counties.
The Mercer Family Cares Initiative was founded by the Hon. William S. Duffey Jr., Retired US District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia and a former partner at King & Spalding in Atlanta.
The Hon. William S. Duffey Jr
A few head-scratching experiences in the healthcare system inspired Duffey to become interested in medical billing practices. In one case, he watched his insurance company rate a drug at more than $ 500 when the same over-the-counter drug would have cost about $ 40. On another occasion, he noted an excessive individual charge for a sterilized sharpie to use to indicate which of his legs would be operated on.
The more he researched, the more evidence he saw of a “broken” system, he said, that unnecessarily confused and incurred inappropriate and unreasonable costs on people, especially those living in poverty.
“I’ve always wondered how people navigate the system, especially those who didn’t have the patience, time, or resources,” said Duffey.
As the Mercer School of Medicine worked to resolve issues related to access to health care in rural Georgia, Duffey recruited longtime friends and Mercer Law alumni, Richard A. (Doc) Schneider, a current curator at the university, and Dwight Davis , a former curator to help resolve the medical debt burden of the poor in the counties served by Mercer.
“I believe in personal financial responsibility and have told many lawyers that managing their lives well financially is a decision,” said Duffey. “But entering into medical debt is rarely a choice. If you are sick, have an accident or suffer from an illness, you must seek treatment. So it is an involuntary imposition of guilt on someone. These debts represent a particularly tough barrier for the poor. “
Duffey’s research led him to RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit founded in 2014 by two former debt collection executives that uses donations to purchase large bundles of medical debts at discounted prices in order to pay off those debts with no tax implications for recipients and a tax donor benefit.
RIP Medical Debt reports that 79 million Americans each day choose between paying medical bills and basic necessities like food and shelter. About 66% of all US bankruptcies and 25% of all US credit card debt are related to medical debt. In seven years, the organization has cleared more than $ 4.5 trillion in medical debt for more than 2.6 million individuals and families.
Inspired by Mercer’s mission and her defining role in the lives of his family members, closest friends, and mentors Griffin Bell and Frank Jones, Duffey didn’t have to look far to find a connection to tie this philanthropic work to the university.
His son Charles, a Mercer law graduate, is the chief operating officer of Mercer Medicine, the medical school’s multi-specialty practice. In recent years, Mercer Medicine has opened rural health clinics in Sumter, Peach, Clay, and Putnam counties, with plans for another in Harris County.
Elder Duffey asked RIP Medical Debt to list the available debt for the poor counties where Mercer’s rural health clinics are located and all adjacent counties. It was found that these individuals either earned less than double the federal poverty line, had medical debts that were 5% or more of their annual income, or were bankrupt with more debt than assets.
Richard A. (Doc) Schneider
Bill and his wife, Betsy, who graduated from Mercer have teamed up with Doc and Helen Schneider and Dwight and Brenda Davis to donate the money to help clear $ 4,369,096.38 in debt in 33 counties, an average of $ 1,524.46 per person based on 2,866 people.
“Judge Duffey follows the map of his heart. I know that from years of experience. He showed Helen and me how we can make a difference, honor the Mercer Mission, and help some good people in need. We jumped on board. When I saw how much medical debt we could settle, I was amazed, ”said Schneider.
Dwight Davis
“This project is a happy get-together of good friends and a good cause. We all hope that our donations will be used wisely for charity and that RIP Medical Debt will have a positive impact on the lives of an enormous number of people. This project is also a perfect complement to the Mercer School of Medicine’s mission to improve rural health care. Brenda and I are so grateful that Bill brought this project to us and that we are able to help, ”added Davis.
MUSM Dean Jean Sumner, MD, FACP said it was “an honor” for the School of Medicine to be part of such a “worthy and important” initiative.
“The Mercer Family Cares Initiative and those who support this effort may not fully understand the transformative impact of this program on the lives of patients, access to care and the health of Georgians in need,” said Dr. Sumner. “A number of factors affect access to quality health care in rural communities. None is more prohibitive than exorbitant prices and unnecessary bureaucracy that lead to unjustified maintenance costs. These factors contribute to insurmountable walls that affect patients’ ability to freely seek quality care. This gracious and generous offer will save lives, prevent disease and change our condition for the better. “
Duffey has no plans to stop with the $ 4.3 million already deleted. He worked with RIP Medical Debt to determine that more than $ 13 million owed by impoverished people in Fulton County could be relieved with donations totaling approximately $ 200,000.
With some equity partners at major Atlanta law firms making more than $ 1 million a year, and recent reports suggest that first-year employees of major New York law firms are earning $ 205,000 in salaries, Duffey urges the Atlanta legal profession to do their bit use available resources to help their neighbors.
As an example of what can be achieved, he points to the Mercer Family Cares Initiative.
“I will propose that the Fulton County attorneys collectively donate $ 200,000 to help meet the medical debts of every poor person in Fulton County,” he said. “I think lawyers will rise to the challenge. If three lawyers who have been friends for 40 years can do something like us, then a combined effort at a much lower cost per person can have an immeasurable impact on the poor in our community. In all honesty, if I went back to RIP Medical Debt and said, ‘Tell me what the collective medical debt is for poor people across Georgia,’ that lawyers could pull it all back with the stroke of a pen. Well, maybe several pens. “
“I join Bill and Dwight in calling on the legal community – and hell, let’s get the entire community involved in this and send out a wave of Mercer kindness to help financially troubled people across Georgia end their medical debt that burden them. “Added Schneider.
