You've Got To Know Your Chicken

Republican senate candidate Sue Lowden from Nevada made a comment on TV that got ridiculed earlier, instead of the ongoing health care reform she suggested the "in the olden days our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor, they would say I'll paint your house. I mean, that's the old days of what people would do to get health care with your doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people. I'm not backing down from that system."

Of course with an highly unrealistic statement like that , she will receive a landslide of mockery. I mean we're not living "back in the days" and we're not living in a small, small town with only one doctor who's in charge of the health care of the whole village and chickens are not rarities or a feast for the rich anymore. The Democrats jumped on it and offer up a form letter to send to Sue asking her help to locate a doctor that would treat anything from scurvy to swamp fever for the fee of 10 chickens to 5 sets of overalls. I reckon that's probably about the right price. My favorite though has to be the chicken converter where you can calculate the approximate cost of various medical procedures to the number of chickens required to pay for it.



What is the doctor going to do with all these chickens? By the calculation, if a chicken farmer wants to give birth, she will have to work for at least 5 years in hopes to pay for the medical bills. Lowden later stood by her statement, her spokesperson said that "Americans are struggling to pay for their health care, and in order to afford coverage we must explore all options available to drive costs down." I find it puzzling that her original statement was aimed to reject the idea of health care reform but now she wants to explore everything starting with a chicken exchange program? She continued by saying "Bartering with your doctor is not a new concept, there have been numerous reports as to how negotiating with your doctor is an option and doctors have gone on the record verifying this."

Yes, we mock but at least the statement issued by her spokesperson is not without merits. I have had visited doctors when I have yet to start working whom charged me less or give me sample medication in order to help with my situation. Since doctors are relatively well-off, they can afford to be more generous. But can you imagine everybody asking for a discount of barter with the doctor? There are always trouble makers who will sue anyone if anything is not up to their liking and then the whole vicious cycle begins and new rules and procedures will be put in to protect the doctors and patients, insurance will be purchased for potential lawsuits and then the costs will drive up just like the system we have now. Just because you're paying your doctor with labor or at a discount doesn't mean you won't sue him if something goes wrong and then where does it leave us? Now if I can only find a doctor that will accept sexual favors as payments. I'm sure they are out there, I've heard tales.