Equity Reimagined: Medical Debt Overhaul, Reparations and Policy Transformation in the DMV

In the wake of the pandemic, medical debt has become the largest category of debt collections in the United States and the single largest cause of people having to declare bankruptcy. The racial justice and health equity implications of medical debt are staggering. Those struggling with medical debt are less likely to seek the care that they need, while Black DC residents are 300 percent more likely than white residents to be burdened by medical debt. This panel will illuminate the scope and impact of medical debt, particularly on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) residents of the DMV, and discuss ways to eliminate medical debt, both through one-time giving and systemic advocacy. The discussion will highlight how private philanthropy purchasing and eliminating medical debt provides immediate relief to families dealing with the devastating consequences of medical debt, why systemic policy reform to break the cycle of medical debt is needed going forward, and what can be done.

The program will be the kickoff for an exciting Temple Sinai campaign to raise (an initial) $10,000 to eliminate a minimum of $1 million in medical debt.

Light refreshments will be served starting at 6:30 pm. 

While we hope you can join us in person, this is a hybrid program that can also be joined virtually.

Panelists

Berneta L. Haynes is a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center who focuses on consumer energy policy and medical debt. Before joining NCLC, she served as a director at Georgia Watch, a state-based consumer advocacy organization in Atlanta. Previously, she practiced law at Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago and Southern Environmental Law Center. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English, Writing, and Psychology from Drury University, her Master’s degree in English from University of Iowa, and her law degree from University of Iowa College of Law. Read more.

Eva Marie Stahl is the VP of Public Policy at RIP Medical Debt. Eva oversees development and implementation of RIP Medical Debt’s policy work. Prior to RIP, Eva was a leader in the health advocacy community for over a decade as Director of Policy & Partnerships at Community Catalyst. Eva was part of the senior leadership team responsible for developing state and federal policy agenda. She holds a PhD in social policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University and an MPA from the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs at UT Austin.

Joseph Geevarghese has been a grassroots organizer for over two decades. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Our Revolution, the grassroots progressive political organization that Bernie Sanders started. Prior to Our Revolution, Joseph was the Executive Director of the labor advocacy group Good Jobs Nation and helped lead the $15 and Union strike movement. From 2002 to 2007, Joseph was the Executive Director of the Hospital Accountability Project in Chicago. Joseph is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he studied social movements and religion, and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Jennifer Holloway is an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Tzedek DC. Her project works to alleviate medical debt in DC. During law school, Jennifer was a legal intern with the Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Health Care Bureau, and worked as a summer law clerk for the National Center for Youth Law. Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University, a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley. Read more.

Jonathan Roos has served as Senior Rabbi at Temple Sinai since 2010. He is committed to Jewish social justice work at Temple Sinai and in the wider community. Jonathan was ordained as a rabbi from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2002. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received a Masters degree in American History from the University of Maryland at College Park. He is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and previously served congregations in Tinton Falls, New Jersey and Albany, New York. Read more.

Ariel Levinson-Waldman (moderator) is the Founding Director of Tzedek DC. Drawing from the Jewish teachings of “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof,” or “Justice, justice you shall pursue,” Tzedek DC’s mission is to safeguard the legal rights and financial health of DC residents with low incomes dealing with the often devastating consequences of debt collection practices, including helping residents address credit report challenges. Ariel is a nationally and locally recognized public interest lawyer. Read more.

Panelists will be joined by Temple Sinai members Dora Chen and Nancy Liebermann.