Chickens For Checkups? Democrats' New Website Mocks Sue Lowden For Barter-For-Health-Care Proposal

Sue Lowden, a Republican candidate challenging Majority Leader Harry Reid for his Nevada Senate seat is refusing to back down from an earlier suggestion that America consider a medical barter system as an alternative to current health care solutions.

On Monday Lowden took the idea one step further.

"Before we all started having health care, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor," Lowden told a local news station. "They would say I'll paint your house."

Now, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has launched a new website to ridicule Lowden for her support of the bartering proposal.

The website, Chickens for Checkups, calls Lowden's health care barter system "an old-timey solution for a modern problem," and says that such a program would ask Americans to "barter with their doctors for health care with things like chickens and house painting," items she referenced on a local news program.

"Do you need medical care?" the site asks. "Write a letter to Sue Lowden with your ailment and what you're willing to trade, and we'll make sure she gets it. It's just like the good old days!"

Lowden's campaign sent a letter to the Las Vegas Review-Journal Wednesday defending her stance and providing a testimonial of "Robin L. Titus, M.D." who claims that he has "bartered with patients -- for alfalfa hay, a bath tub, yard work and horse shoeing in exchange for my care." Her campaign has also been circulating an extensive background document explaining the perks of bargaining with your health care provider.

The DSCC isn't buying it.

"You have got to be kidding me," DSCC spokeswoman Deirdre Murphy said in a statement. "Sue Lowden is completely out of touch with Nevadans if she really thinks bartering chickens for checkups is serious health care reform."

Watch video of Lowden discussing her chicken bartering plan:

Comments

[mggwa]

03:43 PM on 05/29/2010

WAY too many people here to all be from Nevada, the only people whose voice matters in electing a senator to represent Nevada.

Y'all do whatever Nevadans do.

[donbrown]

06:20 AM on 04/25/2010

I think Ms. Lowden is not getting a fair shake.

I don't think she meant ONLY chickens could be bartered...that would be totally impractical, not to mention messy.

I would think in most cases hamsters, peccaries, or even armadillos might be suitable collateral for CAT scans, routine heart bypass surgery, or even dental work.

Doctor's offices could be routed toward nearby farms to accommodate her plan.

Simple.... VERY simple.

[mendelcrosses]

12:34 PM on 04/24/2010

Lol!

God help America!

Is this what Aspirations in America is like?

[dcsarcasm]

05:54 AM on 04/24/2010

Maybe we can pay for political campaigns by bartering with them! The Chicken Soup Party! Send your Congressman a chicken! He\she will accept anything that gets them into office!

How did America get so stupid?

[sistahfriend]

10:47 PM on 04/23/2010

I called her office this afternoon to get information to send a 'chicken' donation and they hung the phone up on me. LOL

[Star2000dancer]

06:58 PM on 04/23/2010

Kind of insulting coming from a multi-millionaire, but:
Can't afford health care? Barter for it In these cash-strapped times, bartering is gaining popularity - even for dental surgery and prescription drugs. EMAIL | PRINT | SHARE | RSS Bob Viking recently bartered to pay for a dental surgery. New visions for fixing health care America's health care system is expensive, inefficient, and leaves many citizens without coverage. Here's what 6 entrepreneurial companies are doing about it. View photos * Helping homeowners FIXING HEALTH CARE * Doctors: 5 gripes about the health law * Health mandate: It's just a tax break in disguise * Health reform starts now: 2010 tax breaks * 'Young invincibles' imperil health reform * Health care act's two ticking bombs * Dead $14 billion loophole could sink corporate health care NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A few entrepreneurs are exploring a novel solution to the problem of finding affordable health care for themselves and their staff: Swap for it. Bob Viking, who owns a party supply store and event entertainment company in Portage, Wisc., hasn't had to pay cash for office computers or services like remodeling in seven years. Instead, he barters for them, using a system he's now exploring for health care as well. Viking paid for his own dental surgery with barter "cash," and he recently met with a service that barters dental, eye care and emergency healt

[Lahonda]

06:50 PM on 04/23/2010

Doh! Forgot that AZ has its own wingnuts. Has she tried betting one of those valuable pullets on a blackjack table yet?

[crunchie]

05:17 PM on 04/23/2010

A request for Sue Lowden;
Dear Sue,

Tell you what. When you give up your GOVERNMENT PAID FOR HEALTH INSURANCE, and start bartering with chickens, pigs, or other farm animals you might have hanging around your back yard, we, you loyal constituents, will try to follow your excellent example. Waiting, Waiting.......

[Tabasco]

02:32 PM on 04/23/2010

Look. I never saw anybody get sick on the Ozzie and Harriett Show, the Beverly Hillbillies or Leave it to Beaver. So nobody in America gets sick. We don't need health care.

But if we DO need treatment, we can always trade our youngest daughters as brides. Paying in chickens is too radical and modern.

[jaybee12]

01:44 PM on 04/23/2010

I am about to visit the US on vacation from the UK and plan to visit Las Vegas for some gaming. I have been concerned at Sue Lowden's comments and am wondering if her casinos accept chickens as bets. If so, I assume I would have to exchange the chicken for chips, as it would be difficult for me to get the chicken to stay in the right place on the roulette table (or are live chickens not acceptable?). Will a frozen chicken be acceptable? If so, I imagine that it would be difficult for the croupier to stuff the chicken through that slot in the table into which the cash is normally pushed. Or do I have to bring sliced chicken?It might be easier for me to go to the Golden Nugget, which I assume accepts Chicken McNuggets.
This is all very confusing to me.

[mssmartypants]

02:46 PM on 04/23/2010

I don't think casinos accept chickens. Chickens are specifically for health care, but you'd better bring some in case you get sick while you're here. For gambling, you will have to paint the croupier's house. Is this not how it work in the UK?

[jaybee12]

05:58 PM on 04/23/2010

But, surely, if Lowden thinks doctors should accept chickens as payment, she (as a casino owner/operator) should accept chickens as gaming stakes. That way she could afford to pay her medical bills, cancel her employees' health insurance plan and give them chickens and/or eggs to pay their medical bills.

[Lorraine Luciano-Mckeon]

02:26 PM on 05/07/2010

BWAH!!! welcome to america! lol

[robwriter]

01:34 PM on 04/23/2010

My neighbor paid 11,123 chickens and a mule for a bypass operation and that was with a discount!

[1hotgolfer]

12:32 PM on 04/23/2010

Sue Lowden...REALLY?? This is the person seeking to be elected by the good citizens of Nevada to a national office? This is the level of critical thinking and creativity that is a qualification?

If Sue Lowden is elected, God help...and forgive Nevada!!

[artist-53]

12:26 PM on 04/23/2010

Hey, I'm all for bartering, however, to barter for my health care is a different matter.

I can hear the scenario now.

Hello, Dr. Barter's office, Please listen to the menu carefully.

Press 1 if you have an item worth between, $50.00 to $1000,00

Press 2 For Jewelry

Press 3 For first born son

If your item is worth less than $50.00 please stay on the line til hell freezes over. If this is an emergency, hang up now and make a wish.

[brt929]

12:22 PM on 04/23/2010

I don't really think she has much of a chance. This woman is a real piece of work, I doubt her own employees would bother voting for her:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/24/lowden-cuts-jobs-gets-bonus/

[brt929]

12:13 PM on 04/23/2010

Is this the same woman that loudly endorsed Ensign, who is in quite a bit of trouble? She didn't seem to mind that Ensign (the very hypocrite that voted for Clinton's impeachment and Craig to resign) was paying off a staffer to keep him quiet about his extra marital affair.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/short-takes/short-takes-lowdens-ensign-pro.html

Senator Reid, take no prisoners. Make a mockery out of this fool.