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I’ve always considered myself a fortunate man. Great job, great family, great home. For the life of me I never thought I’d include “great group health plan” on that list, that is, until we started digging into the individual insurance market.

For virtually all of my working life my family and I have been covered under a large health umbrella with thousands of other company employees. During that time I’ve paid thousands more in premiums than were ever been paid out, and that’s okay, because so-called “shared risk” is what large group plans are all about.

But not, it appears, individual insurance.

If you’ve been watching our reporting you’ll see how companies like to “cherry pick” only the healthiest of applicants, to the point where one expert said you have to be an “android” to get selected. I laughed until I got a good look at a “Health History Questionaire,” quickly realizing that despite the fact I’m in far better shape than most middle-aged males, I’ve got virtually no shot at ever qualifying for this kind of coverage.

Let’s begin at the beginning with this “Yes or No” question:

Has any person listed on this application, in the last 10 years (their bold), had any signs, symptoms, seen a health care provider, had treatment recommended, including prescription medications, received treatment, or been hospitalized for any of the following conditions…

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