Jared Walker
Founder and Executive Director of Dollar For
Meet Jared
Jared founded Dollar For in 2015 in Portland, Oregon. Dollar For was born out of a desire to help folks in medical crisis after watching his own family's experience. What started in Portland spread nationwide after a viral tiktokvideo explaining hospital charity care. Dollar For has now eliminated more than $37 million in medical debt for patients all over the country. A medical crisis should not lead to a financial crisis. Unfortunately, for most Americans, it does. Jared is on a mission to crush as many medical bills as he can while making charity care known, easy and accessible to all. .
Recognition & Impact
Jared and his nonprofit, Dollar For, has caught the attention of major media outlets. This includes NPR's Lifekit podcast, Wall Street Journal, TIME, and Fast Company. We've even received invitations to the White House for special healthcare announcements.
Videos & Podcasts
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NPR - LifeKit Podcast
March 30th, 2023
We discuss the estimated $195 billion of medical debt in America. But just because a medical bill comes in the mail doesn't mean you have to pay that exact price. This episode, why you don't have to pay sticker price for medical procedures and how to negotiate your bill down.
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NPR - Indicator Podcast
June 29th, 2021
Jared started learning about healthcare laws to help families with medical bill issues. One day, he learned about the charity care laws, which mandate non-profit hospitals forgive debts or significantly reduce bills for people on a limited income. Jared began helping families to apply for these charity cares, and then he put those instructions on TikTok.
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An Arm and a Leg - Podcast
10.21 7:00-8:00PM
This viral TikTok video‘s recipe for “crushing” medical bills via charity-care laws is legally sound. And IRS filings from thousands of hospitals attest to $2.7 billion of crush-able debt from a single year— a number that experts say looks more like a floor than a ceiling.
