"I am a Republican who did not vote for President Obama," writes John Hewko, public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, however, "I support his health-care initiative because I have just experienced first-hand our system's dysfunctional wrath -- and it isn't pretty."

As we've written before, our health care system fails the people that need it the most when they need it the most. But it also fails -- as Hewko argues -- the "lucky ones" who are healthy and financially secure. And that tells us that the system is indeed in big trouble.

In an essay for the Washington Post, Hewko describes his confrontation with the health care system and argues why he will join the ranks of Republicans (e.g.: Dole, Frist, Snowe) who have emerged as supporters of comprehensive health reform. Hewko was a Bush appointee who lost his position when a new administration took over, and he is now an independent consultant. He will either be forced to go without insurance coverage when his COBRA option expires after 18 months or pay exorbitant monthly premiums for a CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield guaranteed coverage policy. He didn't even want to do COBRA in the first place. He had little choice.

While he is a healthy and physically fit 51-year-old, Hewko was denied individual (non-group) health coverage due to "pre-existing conditions." In his case, borderline (but well-controlled) hypertension and mild stiffness in his shoulder and hip (treated with an occasional Advil). Both these conditions are common in healthy men of his age.

Hewko, similar to millions of other Americans, is left out in the cold. He was not able to get a comprehensive individual policy for medical and prescription coverage. He reminds us there are millions of hard-working, self-employed or laid-off Americans in similar situations who do not have the financial means to pay for COBRA or catastrophic prescription costs and deductibles under a guaranteed policy.

His solution? Anything but the status quo.

He argues that legislation that does not adopt these following four measures would be a "national disgrace": a national health insurance mandate, subsidies for those who cannot afford insurance premiums, a prohibition against denying or rescinding coverage due to "pre-existing conditions" and (he is after all still a loyal Republican) meaningful tort reform.

So Hewko learned the truth in that old song. When it comes to health insurance, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.