Poor Maine Residents Resort To Bartering For Health Care With Yardwork, Housekeeping

[demmiblue]

Source: Think Progress




As millions of Americans continue to struggle in the worst economy since the Great Depression, keeping up with rising health care costs has become an all-too-common problem. Low-income Maine residents who don’t have insurance have found a novel way of getting the health care services they need: bartering for them by offering to do yard work or other chores. NPR reports on a program that hopes to inspire other health clinics to consider alternative means of payment in difficult times:

Deb Barth is raking leaves for Lesley Jones. But Barth isn’t earning money for her yardwork, at least not in physical currency. She’s earning “time dollars” — for every two hours she spends doing odd jobs, she’ll earn a free visit with her doctor.

As a struggling artist, Barth’s income qualifies her for the program at True North, a nonprofit health care clinic in Falmouth, Maine. She’s one of 33 patients who pay with time dollars there.

“I do things like deep cleaning, organizing,” Barth says. “I also offer caregiver support for people who may be caring for an older parent.”

So how does her doctor cash in these time credits? By getting free services from any of the other hundreds of people who belong to The Portland Hour Exchange Program.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/10/05/335612/poor-maine-residents-resort-to-bartering-for-health-care-with-yardwork-housekeeping/

[madrchsod]

1. that really is a sad commment on how far we have fallen....

just think-a few months ago we laughed about the chicken......

[BR_Parkway]

4. Yes it is sad - but I see this as a good progam in the fact that people

are working with people to get what they need/want rather than running it all through some banker's hands. Its a great way to help communities remain bonded instead of just enriching certain people at the top

[madrchsod]

2. oh yes...during the 30`s my dad traded...

some lumber for dental work....i guess times really have`t changed

[htuttle]

3. We have two alternative currencies in Madison

There's Madison HOURS, which is a paper currency based time economy, and the Dane County Time Bank, which is a paperless time economy with a single central exchange.

The Time Bank seems to be a bit more successful, from my vantage point, and transactions are also deemed non-taxable by the IRS, unlike Madison HOURS.

IIRC, local currencies thrived in Argentina for a while after their economy collapsed in 2001.

[Scuba]

5. Just as Sharon Angle prescribed!

[gordianot]

6. I am getting my lower partial today would like to know how many pullets it will take? (pun intended)

[Scuba]

7. LOL. I'm afraid I would chicken out. n/t

[wilt the stilt]

8. begging is next n/t

[gordianot]

11. Cantor said some time ago that your community should help out when you have serious illness.

(just do not make them help out or ask for money from government). In otherwords beg!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

9. hope the IRS doesn't dig into this

they will start assigning a dollar value for time worked and start taxing both the person doing the work in trade for 'income' and the doctors for the value of their time...

sP

[Occupied1]

10. Didn't one of the gop presidential candidates suggest this? A return to good old

american values or some such?

But with the price of an office visit today, you'd have to work in the office all week unless the doc is a nice guy.

in maine he'd go broke inless he capped his charity patients

[patrice]

12. I like co-operatives!! Problem is they should not be OPPRESSED by fiat currency, ergo more people

, and MOST especially those in key power positions, should be held to the same standard: what REAL VALUE (See Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations) do you bring to OUR work? Hmmmmm????

[ensho]

13. 20 or so yrs. ago I gave some of my art work to a gyn Dr. to pay for

a visit.

she has been and will be in my heart forever