This summer, thousands of Orlando residents are looking forward to having their medical debt wiped. Thanks to grassroots organizing from various organizations within the workers rights coalition Central Florida Jobs with Justice (CFJWJ), the County voted to use $4.5 million in ARPA funds to relieve more than 100,000 Orange County, Florida community members of medical debt that is at least 18-months old and in collections.

“Citizens are closest to the problem, which is why we’ve been able to work with the County,” Eimear Roy, an Orlando parent and organizer with CFJWJ said. “It feels great to be part of solutions.”

Eimear got involved with the campaign — including both setting up meetings with commissioners and sharing her story to put pressure on elected officials — because she knows what it’s like to be in debt through no fault of your own. 

Eimear suffered long COVID, her husband’s short term job loss, and Hurricane Ian — all of which added up to unexpected expenses that had her debt piling up. Her husband now has healthcare coverage through his new job, but it doesn’t cover her, so she’s had to resort to trying to join clinical trials to get the medical help she needs.

Another Orlando resident, Michelle Suarez, knows what it’s like to put off medical care when you can’t afford it. In 2021, she needed a root canal, but put it off for six months in excruciating pain. Eventually, she put the expense on her credit card. Her brother has also put off going to the doctor even though he’s disabled.

“We’re an immigrant family and having to navigate the medical system is hard enough with language barriers — but we also have to do it without insurance,” Michelle said. 

Michelle is a medical interpreter who works primarily with immigrants who have suffered from accidents from dangerous jobs and sometimes get injured for a lifetime. On top of that, they have to deal with discrimination in our healthcare system. “Racism has an impact on people’s health too,” they point out.

They have spoken at County meetings multiple times as part of their organizing with CFJWJ as they try to make a change for families like their own.

Making a change goes beyond winning debt relief — CFJWJ has a larger goal of addressing the systemic issues that cause healthcare to be so expensive in the first place.

“This is just the base of the suffering people are going through,” Samuel Delgado with CFJWJ said. “At the end of the day, it exists because of corporate profits — so drawing those connections also helps us organize workers to bargain for other things that will improve their quality of life.”

Tara Felton (who goes by the nickname glitter), another organizer with CFJWJ, adds that if there are better healthcare options through the government, folks can have more autonomy about the jobs they choose in the first place.

Terri Falbo organizes with both CFJWJ and the Medicare for All Florida campaign. She says that even the fact the phrase ‘medical debt’ exists in a country as rich as ours is ridiculous. “When I talk to people from other economically advanced countries, they don’t even know what that is,” she says.

Terri got into organizing around medical debt because she has friends who have suffered and are less able to advocate themselves because of their situations. She notes that one friend, David, has multiple sclerosis and used to be a NASA computer engineer, but is now on disability, in debt after physical rehabilitation, and his mental health is suffering.

Eimear agrees that being in tough financial situations can make you feel like you have no power. “But having a voice is power,” she said.

glitter explains that the power of winning the medical debt relief is not just about helping people cut costs, but demonstrating a co-governance model with local commissioners. “This is what people are saying needs to be done with our money — ARPA funds are meant for working people,” they said.

In addition to seeing through the use of these funds and advocating for more funds to be put towards this use, glitter said CFJWJ is part of a statewide coalition working to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in 2026.

“Legislators in Florida haven’t been where they should be about accepting federal funds for Medicaid expansion,” glitter said. “So we’re putting that in the peoples’ hands.”