Guaranteed Healthcare

My daughter is a senior in college. She has two small children and is married to a great guy who pours concrete for a living. They make about $35,000 a year and have no health insurance because her husband works for an individual contractor.

In order to help bring in money for their family, my daughter took a job with a cleaning service. After she pays for daycare, she brings home about an extra fifty dollars a week. Four years ago my daughter was in a car accident. It wasn't her fault. She damaged her back and had to have back surgery. Luckily, the other guy's insurance paid for it.

After the birth of her second child last year, she began having problems again. Because the car wreck case had been closed, she can't have her back fixed again because she has no insurance. She sees a family practitioner for it, but now owes that doctor a hundred dollars so can't get an appointment or even pain medication called in until she pays her bill. Her back is so bad she can't even pick up her infant daughter from her crib.

Long story short, she had a medical bill turned over to collections. As she's writing the check, she notices that the name of the doctor looks familiar. At this point, she realizes that the doctor she's writing the check to is the owner of a multi-million dollar house that she cleans. Because of her back pain, she can't bend over to scrub the doctor's bathtub - she has to squat. Maybe we could start a medical barter system where poor people can clean doctors toilets for health care. Lawn mowing for lung surgery. Mopping for MRIs. Window washing for wheelchairs. The possibilities are endless.