Veterans say they're buckling under weight of crushing medical debt

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Veterans and their families across the country are buckling under the weight of crushing medical debt.

Two veterans explain the stress they have been going through for years.

Sean Kelly grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He served eight years in the Marine Corps and racked up tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt after he came home.

"So, 2015 was a rough year. I was in and out of the hospital. Almost every other week, I was going to the hospital,” Kelly said.

Medical issues, he said, stem from his service. Medical bills the VA didn't cover and still hasn't paid.

"We have probably paid about $30,000 of medical bills. And I think we have anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 left,” Kelly said..

Medical issues, he said, stem from his service. Medical bills the VA didn't cover and still hasn't paid.

"We have probably paid about $30,000 of medical bills. And I think we have anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 left,” Kelly said.

Stacks of bills weigh heavy on the retired Marine’s conscience and credit, and he's not alone.

Betsy Odell served in the Army. She said she has tens of thousands of dollars of medical debt.

"It's like $30,000. It's a lot of money, it's a lot of money,” Odell said.

It adds up fast, she said: $711, $611, $546, $547 and collection notices.

"Your balance is extremely past due,” Odell read from a letter. “I get those, those are very common."

"A lot of stress, a lot of humiliation, a lot of embarrassment, a lot of shame,” Odell said.

“We were shocked to learn there was $6 billion worth of unpaid emergent care sitting there at the VA," said Jerry Ashton, co-founder of Rest In Peace Medical Debt.

Ashton said the charity buys past-due bills for pennies on the dollar and erased the debt from someone's past.

Debt adds a financial burden to the physical cost the heroes have already paid.

"It would be amazing,” Odell said.

"Yeah, I mean, it would be a complete relief,” Kelly said.

Cox Media Group