Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young has taken steps to relieve more than $1 million in medical debts for some Atlanta families. Partnering with nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, Young canceled $1,059,186.39 worth of medical bills for families in the greater Atlanta area who were struggling to pay.
Young, through his Trae Young Foundation, donated $10,000 to RIP Medical Debt, an organization that buys and relieves medical debt in the United States. The average amount that was cancelled is $1,858 for about 570 people, according to a press release obtained by Atlanta Black Star.
“The city of Atlanta has welcomed me with open arms,” stated Young. “Giving back to this community is extremely important to me. I hope these families can find a bit of relief knowing that their bills have been taken care of as we enter the New Year.”
According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, a whopping 530,000 U.S. families have filed for bankruptcy each year, because they can’t afford to pay their medical bills. The move by Young, 21, to help relieve debt, many say, was not only needed, but incredibly generous, and they took to Twitter to express those sentiments.
“People don’t understand how great this is cus there so many people in medical dept!!” one person wrote. “Hospital & medical bill is too high & Trae doing this shows u what type of dude he is!!”
“Wow! What a nice and sweet man! I hope many more follow his example!” another person tweeted.
“This is the kind of cancel culture I can get behind,” wrote someone else, referring to the erased debt.
Young himself acknowledged the praise that he received in a January 8 tweet and said he’s far from a one-man show when it comes to removing the debt.
“Blessed to have such a Great Team around me to help me make this happen!! For the A ❤️#MakeADifference,” he wrote.
