More than 26,000 people in Southwest Virginia will soon have overdue bills owed to Ballad Health and its legacy companies discharged, with no strings attached. The debts were abolished by a $3 million donation from The Secular Society, a Blacksburg-based nonprofit, through a partnership with New York-based RIP Medical Debt. Using donations, RIP purchases unpaid medical accounts for pennies on the dollar and then forgives the debts. âThe Secular Society sought to restore peace of mind and creditworthiness to people living in Southwestern Virginia who incurred cumbersome medical debt when they sought the basic human right of health care,â according to a society news release.