The Barter Economy

PSFK:

A medical center in Maine, USA, has commenced a program aimed to provide medical care to uninsured patients. The Portland Hour Exchange Program is designed as a complement to Medicaid, and the initiative lets patients pay for medical services with ‘time dollars’, which they can earn through completing chores. Instead of paying an expensive fee or contributing to their insurance plan, low-income patients enrolled in the program can do various odd jobs for the practitioner, ranging from mowing the lawns to doing cleaning. Two hours of chores gives uninsured patients access to one visit to a doctor.