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…