Ram Raju

Rip Medical Debt is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 2014 by two former debt collectors, Jerry Ashton and Craig Antico. The private company is based in Long Island City, NY. The company purchases bundled portfolios of medical debts for a fraction of their face value and partners with various organizations to convert every dollar contributed into $100 of medical debt relief on average. Rip has also partnered with hospitals, health systems, and physician groups to acquire medical debt for abolishment. The company gained national recognition after facilitating the abolishment of $15 million in medical debt on an episode of HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." To date, Rip has acquired and abolished over $10 billion of burdensome medical debt, helping more than 6.5 million families and addressing a major social determinant of health.