The Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute is offering two virtual workshops this summer aimed at helping Hoosiers better understand and respond to medical debt.
The free “Medical Debt Know Your Rights” trainings will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30, and 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 7. The workshops are part of a broader effort to empower Indiana residents with tools to navigate the complex healthcare billing system and prevent long-term financial harm.
Medical debt has become such a widespread issue that Indiana lawmakers have committed to studying it during this year’s interim legislative session. The Institute’s workshops are supported by a grant from the Health Foundation of La Porte and designed to complement those policy conversations by offering practical help to individuals facing healthcare-related financial burdens.
“We all want good health for ourselves and our loved ones, but sometimes that is only possible through medical procedures that go beyond the budget of everyday Hoosiers, something that is reflected in the high medical debt rates of Indiana,” said Lauren Murfree, policy analyst at the Institute. “While policy solutions to this crisis remain critical, my hope in hosting these trainings is that individuals will leave these workshops able to navigate the current maze of regulations and bureaucratic hurdles associated with preventing and responding to medical debt.”
Participants will learn their rights around medical billing and debt collection, steps they can take to potentially reduce or challenge their bills and what resources are available to help manage the cost of care. Each session will conclude with a 30-minute question and answer period. While Institute staff will not be able to offer legal advice, they will provide guidance within the scope of the workshop.
Another goal of the workshops is to reduce the shame many people feel about struggling with medical bills.
“A common myth is that medical debt only impacts low-income Hoosiers; however, in developing the curriculum for this project we have heard from Hoosiers across income brackets who have had heartbreaking experiences with this system of financial drains,” said Zia Saylor, researcher at the Institute. “We hope that individuals attending the workshops or reading the materials will also feel less alone in their struggle — sadly, this is something that far too many Hoosiers and Americans nationwide struggle with.”
Recordings of the presentations will be made available online after the events, alongside other educational resources on the Institute’s medical debt page.
Registration links:
- July 30, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST (9–11 a.m. CST): https://tinyurl.com/JulyMedDebtKYR
- August 7, 6:30–8:30 p.m. EST (5:30–7:30 p.m. CST): https://tinyurl.com/AugustMedDebtKYR
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
