Ms. Dubinky writes that a few years ago, her company was bought out and with her husband retired, they and their daughter found themselves with no insurance. They figured it wasn't a problem, they'd just buy a private policy. Money was no object as you might imagine, and in fact, she says, they could have covered their medical bills without insurance. (Her net worth is well in excess of a billion dollars.)

After filling out a pile of paperwork for a family policy, Ms. Dubinsky received the news: Denied.

Why were we denied? What were these pre-existing conditions that put us into high-risk categories? For me, it was a corn on my toe for which my podiatrist had recommended an in-office procedure. My daughter was denied because she takes regular medication for a common teenage issue. My husband was denied because his ophthalmologist had identified a slow-growing cataract. Basically, if there is any possible procedure in your future, insurers will deny you.

Really? Wow...what a shock. I'm sure to her it was, not to any one here who's been following the American health insurance disaster for years.

So what to do? They applied for separate policies being very careful how they worded things. One problem was that the first question asked in many cases was, "Have you ever been denied health insurance?" It seems they should have applied to many companies at once so they could legitimately say no.

In the end, they got their insurance, and the cost has more than doubled in the past six years. The experience taught her something about how broken the system is and with that knowledge, Ms. Dubinsky ends her piece with a suggestion for Congress:

The new health care reform legislation is not perfect. Nothing that complex could be. But I have no doubt that the system is broken and reform is absolutely essential. If we are not going to have universal coverage but are going to rely on employer plans, then we must offer individuals, self-employed people and small businesses a place to purchase insurance at a reasonable price. If members of Congress feel so strongly about undoing this important legislation, perhaps we should stop providing them with health insurance. Let’s credit their pay for the amount that has been paid by the taxpayers, and let them try to buy health insurance in the individual market. My bet is that they all would be denied. Health insurance reform might suddenly not seem to them like such a bad idea.

That is an absolutely excellent idea. I would start with Congressman Andy Harris .