Poor US citizens exchange time for health

A clinic in the US state of Maine is using a novel way to support those who cannot afford costly health insurance.

Low-income people earn time credits from the Hours Exchange Portland website, mostly by working a variety of odd jobs like raking leaves or driving the elderly, and exchange them for time with a doctor.

Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports from Falmouth, Maine.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• americasnews
• John Terrett
• Falmouth
• Maine

[ZingZee123456789]

AlJazeera, thank you for this video. You'd never find a story like this in the mainstream media.

[iippo06]

Hard to belive how backwards US is when it comes to healthcare, one of lifes most basic things.

[sicktoaster]

Health insurance is an industry that should've been banned a long time ago.

[TheEsotericDesi]

Reminds me of some Third World country...

[TheEsotericDesi]

America squanderd nearly $3 Trillion on Iraq in just 8 years... Nearly $900 billion on the books... rest of the money that vanished in the shadows... Imagine what it could've bought this nation for at least 2-3 generations to come...

[17FieldSt]

Patient non monetary payment for doctor care is not new, when a bushel of corn, apples or a basket of eggs were happily given and accepted for the doctors visit, decades ago. An updated version, properly administrated shown here, is a win-win. This eliminates many  medical plagues of today: insurance abuse, kickbacks, drug company intrusion, and all the ills of a pure money for medical care system, that seeks to maximize the money for those positioned between the patient and the doctor.

[roseagain2]

@bdyan1 Why not get the best of both? Ron Paul's plan in short is to cut the ourtrageous spending on militarism around the world and STOP the wars, END the corrupt central banking system and return to sound money and a lower cost of living, and FIRST take care of the elderly, children and others who have become dependent on the government AND return our civil liberties by ENDING the Patriot Act. He is the real deal, PLEASE seriously check him out. PEACE!

[bdyan1]

@roseagain2 better the country is becoming bankrupt by providing healthcare for her people than going bankrupt by fighting wars

[roseagain2]

@kurtilein3 Obama and any other "establishment" candidate will destroy the middle class and bankrupt this country. Europe is going bankrupt too, in case you haven't heard.  Then we will see how great medicare and medicaid are. Once again I beg you to do your research on Dr. Paul. He has been exactly right on the economy, warning us what was going to happen when others were laughing at him. He knows how to make healthcare affordable without bankrupting and stealing from others.

[koponenii]

Great!

[xxtruthbetoldx]

communism works!!

[Abcflc]

the first world is looking more like the third world and viceversa... so its like a homogenization process... I guess..