It’s never a time for celebration when another American can’t find health insurance because of private insurers and their denials. Indeed, the practice of denying insurance to people with pre-existing conditions is so common, the media hardly ever talks about individual cases and instead mention the staggering statistics.

One case, however, is worth mentioning today. Dougals Holtz-Eakin, one of John McCain’s top policy gurus and an architect of John McCain’s laughable health care plan, is about to run out the clock on his COBRA benefits. In a few weeks, he’ll be uninsured and shopping for coverage on the individual market, a situation faced by millions of Americans who have lost their job in the last year. And, like millions of his fellow middle-aged Americans, Holtz-Eakin has a pre-existing condition:

Holtz-Eakin, who is about to start shopping for insurance on the individual market, is 51. And he has one of those pesky "preexisting conditions" that insurance companies often cite in denying coverage.

"A right renal autotransplant," he said, pointing to his abdomen as he described the 1990 transplant surgery he went through after one of his kidneys was damaged in an accident. "They got rid of the artery, moved my kidney and rebuilt me for the 21st century. If you look at my file, any insurance company would go, ‘Hmm . . .’ "

Good luck.

As President Obama has said, it can happen to any of us, even those of us who champion a health care plan that would have done nothing for people with pre-existing conditions.

Perhaps, in light of his current plight, Holtz-Eakin is reconsidering his stance on health reform? Nope:

Despite his personal trials, however, Holtz-Eakin said his conviction on the hot-button issue of health care is unchanged. He believes that reform is needed, but that President Obama and congressional Democrats are going about it the wrong way. The system is "broken," he said, but the bills now before Congress do not cut costs enough. On the campaign trail, Holtz-Eakin promoted McCain’s plan to eliminate the tax exemption for employer-sponsored health insurance and give tax credits to individuals to buy their own coverage.

When health reform passes, Holtz-Eakin will be able to get insurance. And it won’t cost $1000 per month, as Holtz-Eakin’s COBRA payments do – something only the rich in society, like Holtz-Eakin, can afford. Maybe then he’ll be thankful.

(also posted at the NOW! blog)

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