In that timeframe I had a heart condition. The local cardiologist I saw was really into hunting. He even had some trophy bucks and bass mounted on the waiting room wall. His wife, a nurse at the hospital I was in for a week, described him as "a good ol' boy". It wouldn't surprise me if he at some point took some hunting related payment instead of cash. Medical insurance, while common, was less of a thing back then and barter was quite common in the community. Mostly people trading boats, trucks, rifles, and appliances with each other but services happened too. It was the type of informal arrangements that work in areas with high social cohesion.