TikTok is becoming a lifeline for Americans facing medical debt

Americans with unmanageable medical debt are increasingly turning to TikTok to avoid bankruptcy by asking for views and clicks. With enough followers combined with high engagement, TikTokers can earn money through the platform's Creator Rewards Program and hopefully pay off their stack of bills.

At least a few users have gone viral enough to pay off some of this debt, and other desperate people are trying to follow their example. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to qualify for payment.

Watching TikTok videos to help pay people's medical bills

TikTok's Creator Rewards program requires that adult users have at least 10,000 followers and gain at least 100,000 views within 30 days to become eligible. If they are approved, TikTok will pay out some amount of money for videos that are at least one minute long.

The total amount paid is based on a combination of factors including the number of users in the program, the number of views, other types of engagement, and even the video's location. According to Business Insider, high earners report netting a few cents for every 1,000 views.

With few options to make extra cash, people who are sick, disabled, or parents of ailing children are asking TikTokers to follow and watch their videos for just five seconds or more to help them qualify for the Creator Rewards Program.

Success for some

Some users have found this method effective in keeping their heads above water—for now. One of the most prolific and successful TikTok medical fundraiser accounts belongs to Alex Pruitt (@alexispruitt), who often posts multiple videos with her kids each day.

@alexispruitt Praying one of these videos blow up! 🫶🏻🥹 #payoffdebt #payoffdebttrend #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #momsoftiktok #momcommunity #medicalbills #debtfree #debtpayoff ♬ Lil Boo Thang - Paul Russell

Pruitt's youngest, Elijah, suffers from reactive airway disease and a rare genetic disorder called Factor XII Deficiency. He sees two separate specialists and has been hospitalized five times in his young life. Speaking with Rolling Stone about the resulting medical debt, Pruitt says that local police served her with a notice threatening to garnish her household's paychecks.

"I felt like a horrible mom for not taking care of the bills when they originally happened," she said. "When your son has blood in his brain, I’m not worried about how much this MRI is going to cost or how much this CT [scan] is going to cost. It’s not like you really get a choice."

An impossible threshold for others

The formula for how to go viral on any social media platform remains an elusive mystery, and this trend is no exception. TikTok users have been trying it since at least 2022, but there are only so many success stories. If you can't reach the For You page, chances for payment are slim.

With the trend catching on in 2024, the sheer volume of videos may make it even harder. Users are now attempting to raise funds with views on all kinds of debt or to pay for something they need, medical or otherwise. Some are trying to pay off vet bills for their pets, but even cute animal videos are no guarantee.

TikTokers give each other hope

Despite the fact that it doesn't work for everyone, the trend of coming together to help one another, even if only by watching a video and clicking a button, has become a source of hope and inspiration for the TikTok community. Comments on these videos contain outpourings of both sympathy and delight at the demonstration of solidarity.

One video by @sydneylaurenco from May wasn't the most popular, but her comments were filled with users offering one word in support: Teamwork.

Some fundraising TikTokers have also managed to earn some cash via donations by posting links to crowdfunding campaigns in their bios.

The American medical debt tide rises

A study by the JAMA Network found that in June 2020, 17.8 percent of Americans had medical debt in collections. Because it takes time for a debt problem to reach this point, the authors suggested that this number reflected "care delivered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic." Amounts owed were higher in states that had refused the Medicaid expansion provided by the Affordable Care Act.

It's not just credit scores that suffer from this issue. Another study published in March 2024 calculated 1.12 years of lost life per 1,000 U.S. residents for every one percentage point increase in the population's medical debt. The increase further resulted in about 18 more physically and mentally unhealthy days per 1,000 people each month.

All of this debt totals $88 billion as of 2021, according to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Although most individual bills found on U.S. credit records were below $500, the majority of Americans with medical debt are facing multiple bills at once.

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