Army veteran and law enforcement officer Brooke King was recently surprised when she opened a letter in the mail informing her that her outstanding medical debt had been paid off early.
She asked her husband if he had paid the bill without telling her, but he said he hadn’t.
Only weeks later did she receive a call confirming her medical bill had indeed been paid off in full. She was the beneficiary of a debt forgiveness campaign led by a pair of veteran-owned businesses, Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company.
“It was such a massive relief,” she told The Epoch Times.
King survived a mortar blast and a separate roadside bomb attack during a deployment to Iraq in 2006. While she received a 100 percent disability rating for her military service, she said gaps in the documentation for her injuries meant the Department of Veterans Affairs hasn’t covered some of her recurring medical expenses.
As a result of the debt forgiveness campaign, King had a $3,000 doctor’s bill paid off.
Bear Handlon, the Navy SEAL veteran who co-founded Born Primitive, first launched the debt forgiveness campaign in 2024, through a partnership with ForgiveCo.
ForgiveCo is a public benefit corporation that purchases bulk unpaid debts from collection agencies at a fraction of the original cost.
Handlon’s debt forgiveness campaign entails donating the proceeds of Born Primitive purchases to pay off medical debts ForgiveCo has bought up.
In their initial 2024 campaign, Born Primitive covered $11 million in outstanding medical debts from ForgiveCo, ultimately providing relief for nearly 6,000 veterans.
Last year, Handlon expanded the debt forgiveness campaign through a Veterans Day partnership with Black Rifle Coffee Company. The pair of companies initially set out with a goal of paying off $25 million in medical debts, but exceeded that goal and ultimately paid off $35 million in medical debts.
One beneficiary from last year’s Veterans Day campaign, Army veteran Mara Collins, saw more than $340,000 in total medical debt paid off.
This year, Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company teamed up again with an even bigger debt forgiveness goal. Between Nov. 6 and Nov. 11, they hope their combined proceeds will pay off $35 million in outstanding medical debt. They also expanded the campaign to cover first responders’ medical debts.
“I think as veterans, we get thanked a lot for our service. And while it’s appreciated, I would redirect people to thank a first responder instead,” Handlon told The Epoch Times.
Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company have sought to appeal to veterans and first responders with their products and branding.
“Supporting this community has always been about more than words, and our customers are a big part of making that possible,” Black Rifle Coffee Company co-founder Mat Best said. “Every day, they’re helping us turn our mission into meaningful impact for the people who’ve served.”
When she learned her medical bill had been paid off, King said she broke down in tears.
“I’ve never had that kind of help before, where no one had to ask me if I needed help. They just said, ‘Hey, you know what? We got you,’” she said.
