The Stupid, It Burns

Often those in the reality-based community will use the title phrase when the stupidity coming from pundits and politicians gets so overwhelming it causes mental pain.  Imagine my surprise to find something so stupid that it really does hurt.  It doesn't hurt bad enough for me to see a doctor about it, though.  After all, I have no chickens with which to pay ...

I had hope that Harry Ried might actually face a significant challenger in Sue Lowden.  That got crushed, utterly and thoroughly when I read a week or two ago that she suggests  lowering Health Care costs through barter.  I've read that before from Big Swede and some others at ECW but I didn't seriously think that a favored politician  could be stupid enough to believe it would work.  Apparently Lowden does, and went so far as to verbally honor a classic trope, paying your doctor with a chicken.

So far, the left wing blogs are having a field day with the comedic material available here.  Atrios writes:

Just how many chickens should I stockpile in my medical savings account? Since I can't keep them in the backyard, I'll need to have the poultry store act as my bank.

Lowden's bundle of bluster has been dubbed "Chickens for Checkups".  I'm trying to find the humor in that, but failing.  Health care is a helluva lot more than checkups, and barter doesn't cut it in a world where actionable value is in the hands of those who may lord it over those that need their service.  In the discussions at right-wing websites I've seen time and again the claim that doctors should be able to demand what they wish for their service, sans any interference from the stupid government.  So tongue to cheeky seriously, for technical guys over 50, what will you barter for for checkups you need?  Computers for colonoscopies?  You senior fellows.  Vacations for Viagra?  Broken bones.  Comics for casts and god knows what for the X-rays?  Pregnant gals.  Blowjobs for Babies, maybe?

Simply put, there is no way that barter can control costs in health care because the costs are and cannot be established.

Unless we go to the Chicken standard ...

Comments

[problembear]

i have some badgers i would like to get rid of for a colonoscopy- i figure it's a fair trade.

[Mark T]

Seems to me that you agreed with Matt that cost controls were built into the Insurance Company Care bill. What the hell are you worried about then? It's done. The debate is over. Yes you did.

[Wulfgar]

And it seems to me, Mark, that you still can't read. I did not agree with Matt about the cost controls. I simply told you to follow a link he posted when you asked the same whiny and demanding question for the umpteeth time.