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Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh had some chest pains over the holidays and was rushed to a hospital. He was treated and released and he is doing fine. So, now that his health is okay, it’s not inappropriate to point out how stupid he is, right? Okay, good. He’s really stupid.

During his post-hospital stay press conference, Limbaugh took the opportunity to announce that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the health care system.

"I don't think there's one thing wrong with the United States health system," Limbaugh said. 

Well, I’m sold. Put the health care issue to bed, we no longer need to address it. A celebrity millionaire with top-notch insurance and a daily megaphone to millions was treated well at a hospital. Illuminating. The painfully obvious problem is, not everyone enjoys the wonderful health care experience Limbaugh enjoyed. Some people have a different story.

One such story belongs to a friend of mine, a 60-year-old retired man who is much more conservative than I. This man has type 2 adult onset diabetes. He is otherwise in great health and has none of the complicating factors associated with the disease. His kidneys are normal, he has no blood pressure problems, and all of his key factors are good. His big health problem has nothing to do with his health. It has everything to do with insurance. As in, he can’t get any.

He has spent the past year trying to find a commercial insurance company that will underwrite him. He has used two different health insurance brokers. After a year of exhaustive efforts they have not been able to find a single insurance company that will underwrite him at any cost. Let me repeat that, at ANY cost. This man has money and is willing to spend it, but not one insurance company will take him on because he is a medical risk. 

That leaves him with only one option. Under Ohio law, insurance must be offered during a 30-day open enrollment period. The pricing is extraordinarily high and the plan is extraordinarily poor. This man used a word to describe the plan that I can’t print here. The coverage is minimal, the deductible is high, and the average monthly cost is $1,500 to $2,200. That’s up to $26,000 a year for health insurance, more than some people earn. 

Compare the cost of that to the cost of insurance that he buys for his 21-year-old son. For his son’s plan, he pays $89 a month. Why? Because his son is not a risk and they will probably pocket all that money and not have to spend a dime on him. Insurance companies only want to underwrite safe, low-risk candidates. And that’s simply not what insurance should be about. Insurance shouldn’t be available only to the people who don’t need it. People who need it should be able to get it as well.

For my friend, the health care situation is not perfect, as Limbaugh believes. For him, it has some problems. His doctor, a conservative Republican, actually told him: “People like you are why we need a government plan.” 

Now, I know the term “public option” conjures up all sorts of emotional reactions and volatile opinions, so this is not going to turn into an endorsement. It is simply an effort to point out that as of right now, under the current system; the private sector is not solving the problem. They’re making it worse.

But at least we can all rest assured that our beloved celebrity millionaires will be treated well by the health care system. I know I personally will sleep better at night knowing that if she should need it, Miley Cyrus will receive top notch medical treatment and probably will not go bankrupt because of her insurance plan.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the world is not full of Limbaughs and Mileys. There are a lot of different situations out there when it comes to health care. And for certain people with certain situations, the system is beyond broken. It’s cruel and inhumane. It needs help. So although I’m happy Limbaugh got great treatment and is doing well, I would be even happier if my healthy retired friend could insure himself for less than 20 grand a year.

(Reader responses can be sent directly to Tyler at thoward@theheraldpapers.com).