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FEATURE NEWS | |
TOUCHING ROCK BOTTOM:
Americans Try Bartering To
Find Health & Dental Care
Sky Valley Chronicle Exclusive
December 04, 2009
 Going the barter route to find medical & dental care.  CHC health care flyer. CLICK TO OPEN
But take heart in the knowledge you are among a growing number of Americans who find themselves doing something they never in their wildest dreams imagined they would do: going on the Internet to try and barter their labor and skills for health care or dental care for family members.
A recent Washington Post article reported Craigslist had an 80 percent increase in activity in its bartering section this year. Some of these posts – as well as posts on other sites that specialize in barter - are for people seeking to trade something for health and dental care.
Ramona Heath, whose story is contained in a recent broadcast radio report, had been out of work for over a year. Her husband lost his job also in the recession. Essentially homeless after the unemployment for so long, Ramona went on the Internet and found a dentist who would fix her daughter’s long neglected teeth in exchange for her skills and labor in housekeeping.
Now her 8-year old daughter can smile without covering her mouth. In the past whenever she would smile she would cover her mouth, embarrassed about the bad shape her teeth were in.
A man named Devin, who lays tile and has no health insurance, went on Craigslist to offer his services to a surgeon who would fix his two hernias. Yes, two hernias.
At last report he worked everyday (that he could find work) through the pain.
The operation would cost about $10,000 that Devin does not have and cannot get. He said it was a crapshoot finding a surgeon but in the past he was able to find a dentist who would barter adding, “you never know, I might be able to find a surgeon.”
Bartering for medical help is a way of getting roughly the same tax-exempt benefits that people with employer-sponsored health insurance have.
BARTER & SWAPS BOOMING
Bartering and swapping are booming these days as the global financial recession squeezes cash out of many wallets. Web sites and business organizations promoting cash-free transactions are growing as unemployment soars and millions are struggling to pay their bills.
About $12 Billion worth of business-to-business bartering happens each year around the world and more than 250,000 U.S. businesses bartered goods and services last year.
And the growing recession has created new interest in that long-established business trade game, as well as boosting the person-to-person swaps taking place on Web sites and in community networks worldwide.
People are willing to swap for all kinds of things. On Craigslist not long ago someone wanted to barter accounting services in return for food and one woman offered a week in her Hilton Head, S.C., vacation home for dental work for her husband.
NOTE: Any individual can place a FREE BARTER AD on www.skyvalleychroncile.com (businesses pay a small fee) or a FREE classified ad to sell a variety of goods and services.
Go HERE for instructions. You must create an account (takes just a few seconds) and log into the website to use the service.
The Sky Valley Chronicle's service is the ONLY Free Classified Ad Service to ever be offered by any Sky Valley newspaper.
AT EVERETT CLINIC THAT SERVES LOW INCOME AND UNINSURED, NO ONE YET ASKS TO DIRECT BARTER FOR SERVICES
“I’m unaware of anyone who has come through the clinic that has gone on the Internet to barter for health care,” says LuAnne Kay communications specialist at the Community Health Center of Snohomish County (CHCSC) in Everett (http://www.chcsno.org/) which serves those who are uninsured or low income.
But she told the Sky Valley Chronicle, “at health fairs we attend throughout the county we have seen a large increase in people seeking free screenings for things like diabetes, and the number of uninsured people seeking medical services at the clinic has increased about 30% over this time last year.”
Between January 1 and November 30 of this year, 27% of CHC’s patients were uninsured. “We do have staff in each clinic who assist new patients in applying for State or Federal programs they may qualify for,” added Kay.
To date none of the staff in the CHC clinics is aware of any patients wanting to barter directly with a clinic health care provider for medical care but staff does have patients who bring in cookies and other gifts to thank clinic staffers for the quality of care they receive.
Anyone who is unemployed, uninsured or unable to afford health insurance or health care can receive primary medical care at any one of four Community Health Center clinics in Everett and Lynnwood.
(See the CHC flyer at above right in PDF file. Click to open)
CHC accepts Medicaid, Medicare, Healthy Options and Basic Health Plan and also offers substantially discounted fees - based on family size and income - for those who can pay but fall within certain income limits that qualify them for the discount program.
You can find a CHC chart of the discounted clinic fees based on income and a discount fee application here: http://www.chcsno.org PatientResources/PaymentsAndInsurance.ashx?p=1136
In some case medical fees at CHC clinics are discounted by 80%.
And should you feel the need to test the waters in bartering for medical or dental care here are a few options besides eBay, Craigslist and the Sky Valley Chronicle:
http://U-exchange.com lists people looking for barters and swaps in more than 80 countries.
The California-based http://swapthing.com lists more than 3.4 million items for barter or swap.
Web sites such as http://homeexchange.com are becoming increasingly popular with those who don't want to pay for a vacation home.
And the web site http://whatsmineisyours.com based in Great Britain focuses on fashion. The site has 22,000 users around the world.
And if you’d like to hear the radio story about bartering, featuring the tales of Ramona Heath and Devin, who at last report was still looking for a surgeon to fix his two hernias, you can find it HERE
Have a comment on a story you’d like to share with other Sky Valley Chronicle readers? Have a news tip, news release, letter to the editor or Op-Ed piece to submit? Here are the contact points:
To send comments on stories, Op-Ed submissions or letters to editor: editorial@skyvalleychronicle.com
To send SVC news tips or photos: newstip@skyvalleychronicle.com
For News Releases: newsrelease@skyvalleychronicle.com
For fast breaking news tips: 425-791-1471
To send bags full of money: Call. We'll send a limo.
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