paxus

I am pretty confident that EW is part of the FEC PEACH catastrophic self insurance system. This is a $5K deductable plan which the community pays for up to that level and then the PEACH program takes over costs. This self insurance is available to any community in the FEC network and has been operating successfully for several decades. Powerfully, it succeeds in part based on the idea that you do not sue your own family, and thus all the moneys collected can go to direct medical costs and not to lawyers. If Obamacare is dismantled, this type of system is you best chance for affordable health care, you just have to be willing to share your income to get it.

Actually, the distinction between a cult and a commune is quite well established. Cults have these characteristics: 1) It has a living charismatic leader 2) You give them all your money 3) You are kept away from your old friends and family 4) You can’t leave when you might like Communes (at least the FEC communes) do none of these things. For more insight into this see https://funologist.org/2015/06/19/you-are-a-cult-right/

We keep them. Twin Oaks first built a clinic space connected to the residence which is designed to handle mobility and other age related issues. Then we built a hospice. In the 20 years i have lived at Twin Oaks, only a few people over 65 have left the community to live elsewhere, the significant majority have stayed with us until they died.

The average age (for adults) at Twin Oaks is about 45. At Acorn it is about 35. I have not been to East Wind for a long time, but it is likely somewhere between these two ages.

These are all very different types of entities than communes. The Farm, DR and Earthaven are all important collective living situations and historically important intentional communities. None of them are currently communes, as in shared income situations. This makes their operations much easier. People can have different and separate financial situations, there is no need for a shared cottage industry. Members can work straight jobs in the outside world and bring money home. All the FEC communities pool and share income, often there is a cottage industry new members can plug into (this is not the case with Compersia in DC, Cotyledon in NYC or Cambia in Louisa however). It is much easier to build and sustain communities which are not communes and not income sharing, largely because it is easier to find people who are willing to join.

This idea has been out there for a while. A small number of highly paid tech people providing the financial backbone of a larger community. And in a way, Dancing Rabbit started this way. But for as good an idea as it sounds, it turns out quite difficult to pull off. Even if the tech folks are living in the community it basically does not work for a small number of people to be disproportionately carrying the financial burden of the collective.