Thoughts On Financial Access
As we are living through late-stage white supremacist patriarchal colonial capitalism (concept originally from bell hooks via Carmen Spagnola), part of my responsibility as a Naturopathic Doctor is to provide community care as a workaround for systems that do not inherently support our well-being.
As a white-bodied, straight, cis-gendered, woman with access to a network of generational wealth, I am more proximal to institutional power, have benefitted from these systems and will continue to as long as they exist. These structures and systems strategically leave out many people who are not proximal to these institutions of power.
As long as these structures are present, I will to work to create an environment for structural care — which happens at the policy level for things like universal basic income, racial equity and justice, increased social funding at the federal level and a comprehensive universal health care system.
Working towards structural care is a long game and I recognize that in the meantime, not every body can access the medicine I carry due to the barriers created by intersecting systems of oppression, despite the basic human right to access safe, affirming, compassionate and equitable healthcare.
Access Approaches
Sliding Scale: a Three-Tiered Approach
For me, the barrier I can most directly control in my private practice is financial inaccessibility. I’ve often wondered how best to increase financial access to health and wellness spaces while honouring the value of my work. While this is a work-in-progress, for now I have adopted the Three-Tiered Approach from OtherWise Holistic Arts, as adopted from Alexis J. Cunningfolk’s article on The Sliding Scale: A Tool of Economic Justice.
0% discount
10% discount
15% discount
From OtherWise Holistic Arts:
“The highest tier represents closest to the fair compensation for my time in clinic, skill, training, business overhead, and time spent on administration outside of clinical time. Further to that, I offer a 10% and 20% discount on my rates because I wish to ensure I am reaching more than just those most advantaged under the current social and economic paradigm.
I will not gate-keep access to sliding scale rates, and will take each request in good faith. Sliding scale must be requested directly from me in advance of our session so I can accurately issue your billing post-treatment. You may email me directly for this request. You are welcome to pay different amounts each time you come for a treatment, but please make sure you are requesting a rate change in advance of billing.
I ask people who are using insurance to not access the sliding scale rates no matter how much coverage you are allocated per session, since extended health benefit coverage is a significant relative to financial privilege. You may return to accessing sliding scale rates when you no longer have coverage.” ~ OtherWise Holistic Arts
Barter & Trade: A Workaround in unstable times
April 2025: Open
Barter (verb): “In trade, barter (derived from bareter) is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money…Market actors use barter as a replacement for money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis, such as when currency becomes unstable...” ~Wikipedia
There will be one patient slot/month that will operate on a trade of equivalent value. This slot will a). allow for you to book 12 visits in total, as you see fit for frequency, b). have access to this care for 1 year (or until you decide to discontinue) and c). expire after 1 year time. This means that there will be approximately 12 barter & trade spots/calendar year. After your barter & trade spot has expired, I ask that you do not re-apply for 1 calendar year.
To apply*, please:
Click on the button below and send me message
Enter your subject as “Barter & Trade: (Month, Year)”
In the message body, give a brief description of your trade proposal (please review my Fees page to determine equivalent value)
*Applications that do not include the above information will not be considered.
Considerations:
I will not gate-keep access to the barter & trade spot and will take each request in good faith.
Individuals with insurance benefits are not eligible for this, as extended health benefit coverage is a significant relative to financial privilege.
You may apply for the barter & trade when you no longer have coverage.
This is a first-come, first-serve basis.
