Good Samaritans

John Oliver Pays Bills for 9,000 People

Acquired $15 billion in delinquent medical bills.

HBO host John Oliver pulled an Oprah and paid delinquent medical bills for about 9,000 people. The move was meant to attract attention to the often questionable practices of companies that acquire debts and then try to collect on them, an industry with little oversight and minimal regulation, according to Oliver. Oliver set up his own company to make the purchase, which he described as "disturbingly easy." By paying $60,000, Oliver managed to forgive $15 billion worth of debts owed by thousands to Texas hospitals. After announcing the news on his show 'Last Week Tonight,' Oliver called the stunt "television history" and noted that it beat Oprah's record of giving away $8 million worth of cars.