Veteran riding 10,000 miles to help pay off others' health care debt

Veteran riding 10,000 miles to help pay off others' health care debt

One veteran, as part of RIP Medical Debt, is riding across 32 states and covering 10,000 miles to raise money for fellow veterans and their families.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One veteran is traveling to 32 states across the country to raise money. The donations will go toward helping veterans and their families pay off health care debt.

"There’s a lot of veterans out there that need our help. They served our country and they deserve to have their health care [debt] abolished," Col. Mikel Burroughs said.

Col. Burroughs, a veteran himself, is a part of RIP Medical Debt, a non-profit that works to pay off health care debt for veterans and their families.

Col. Burroughs will ride his motorcycle to 32 states, including Florida. He stopped in St. Petersburg on Sunday, where his daughter lives.

Col. Burroughs is passionate about this journey because he lost friends and family who were veterans to mental health illnesses. Col. Burroughs said it is his goal to help veterans get rid of their health care debt so they can seek the treatments they need.

On his journey to 32 states, he will drive 10,000 miles on his motorcycle. So far he raised $4,000 in donations, but plans to raise $50,000. He still has 8,000 miles to travel.

To pay off the health care debt, he handles the debt sourcing for RIP Medical Debt.
Col. Burroughs explained he buys debt directly from hospitals to have it forgiven for veterans.

Col. Burroughs said last year he helped in the Tampa area.

"We abolished $290 million at Tampa General for people here in the Tampa area," Col. Burroughs explained.

Now as he travels to different states, he has the goal to help as many veterans as he can.

If you would like to learn more about the organization, click here.
https://www.rallypoint.com/organizations/rip-medical-debt