I'll trade you a baby grand for a dental implant
I read an interesting story on CNN the other day about how bartering is becoming increasingly popular, even extending into the realm of medical and dental costs. According to the article, as the number of employers able to offer health care benefits has decreased, some private medical providers have stepped up to engage in trading care for goods and services.
That's an innovative way of dealing with health costs when no other way is available, but I can't see it really going mainstream. For one thing, it may be possible to put a fair market value on some trades (cleaning services for dental cleaning, for example), but how do you make change when payment comes in the form of a baby grand piano?
On top of the impracticalities built into bartering, bartering doesn't address the larger problem of health care affordability. While I admire the innovative spirit of both health care recipients and providers who manage to make bartering work, I think there's an element of shame in the fact that the largest industrialized nation in the world and the only remaining world superpower still hasn't managed to pull it together enough to prevent people from resorting to desperate, niche measures to obtain basic health care.
Have you made bartering work for you economically? If so, how?
9 retorts:
I've found it works better among friends. I trade stuff I don't use anymore to friends that have stuff that I can use...sometimes better than Goodwill. :)
I don't think my dentist will accept anything less than cash for my next cleaning. :(
Bartering only works when both parties miraculously find they have something the other wants. Not everyone has the ability to pull that rabbit out of the hat.
I agree that our country's situation with healthcare is shameful, and I've worked in and around the industry for years.
Our system in Canada (BC) isn't perfect, but at least everyone is covered with basic health insurance. Heck, even the our international students that stay with me must buy insurance if they stay more than 30 days ($54.) People who can't afford premiums get subsidies. Granted, some of our waiting lists can get too long, but now a bit of private care is mixed in; so if you can afford to, you can jump the line (which frees up a space for someone who can't afford it)
But back to bartering: years ago(before personal computers) there was a company that set up a barter system. With a third party clearing house more could be done; there would no need to make a perfect match; just a system of credits. I think they do that with timeshares now. Why not with dental implants and pianos?
Obviously not, since the whole point of a judicial system (one of the earliest tax-funded public services ever, right down to ancient Egypt, if I am correct) is that neither party to a dispute may pay the judge.
Your whole example makes clear why bartering for medical services is a bad idea - who is likely to own a grand piano (or even a baby grand) but people who might be able to afford to pay in the first place?
I follow the US health care debates as reported in the NY Times with great interest, and find it telling that even moderately conservative commentators such as David Brooks are coming around to the idea of universal insurance.
I haven't personally. But my mom has traded some babysitting for a discount on dental bills. Of course, her sister is an employee of the dentist, so there was a built in trust. But I imagine there are quite a few professional moms out there who would gladly give discounts if they could get a few nights out for free -- with a trusted babysitter. (Given that my mom in in her 50s, she's a lot more attractive of a candidate than the average 12 year old.)
Anon - Drat, my dentist wants cash, too. How unreasonable! ;-)
MtnMama - What do you do, if you don't mind my asking? My mom was an RN for many years and she's horrified by the affordability and accessibility of healthcare - as are many of us.
Gord - Sounds like a niche business opportunity in the making. Any thought of pursuing it?
goldsmith - Universal healthcare in the US: it's about damned time, in my opinion.
Abigail - You know, I could actually use babysitting my friends' kids as a way to get started in bartering. That's an idea. One that might work better for my life circumstances is a dress swap: I go to black tie events a couple of times a year, and each time I think about trying to get a dress swap going instead of buying something new. This might be the year to put it into action.
I was at a conference once where a doctor who practices in Northern Maine ("Up The County") was facing some serious chastisement from colleagues for accepting bartered services for his medical care -- from people who had nothing else to offer. It thought it was ironic that the other physicians were comfortable casting aspersions when this man was taking the lead in providing care to people who could not otherwise afford it... while they were choosing what insurance companies to accept so they could exclude patients from care.
Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com
Well, I think there's nothing wrong with bartering as long as it is reasonable. But this bartering of a baby grand piano for a dental implant? It shocked me. For me, giving up a piano for expensive dentures is too impractical. You still can get dentures without giving the piano up.
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I've never done any serious bartering. Mostly I do some token bartering among friends and family. That is, it's mostly a favor with some token compensation. Like my brother will help you fix your car if you buy the parts and feed him dinner. My fiance will provide computer assistance for dinner and some beer. I'll take commissions for knitting/sewing/etc for the cost of yarn x2. That is, you buy the yarn for your project and a similar amount for me to compensate me for my time. I also play piano and harp, but I tend to gift those services since I enjoy it and it's usually a wedding anyway. So, I play harp at your ceremony and that's your wedding gift from me.
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