I had the occasion to interview a middle-aged couple who was thinking of selling their home here in Marin. They had contacted an associate of mine who works in Boise, Idaho. They drove to Boise and were shown a number of properties that were for sale.

Let me start at the beginning. The motivation of this couple was centered around the wife’s sprightly 94 year old mother, who has been living in an “old folks” home and was not enjoying the company. She is more vibrant than many of the elders at the home and she wants to get out, be involved and, God bless her, enjoy the remainder of her life. The couple’s home is a two-story home with no room on the ground floor suitable for the mother’s bedroom.

Boise seemed like the perfect solution. They had found a one-story home with two master bedroom suites that was perfect for their plans. While showing them property, my associate – who had recently moved from California to Idaho – asked if they had looked into their health insurance and whether or not they could get the same coverage in Idaho. The couple apparently never considered the insurance aspect.

They returned to California and called my business partner and I for a listing presentation. We had a great interview and things seemed ready to go. We’d list and sell their home and they’d make the move to Idaho with mom in tow. A new life!

Then they called the health insurance companies in California and Idaho. Sure enough, they would not get a transfer of coverage, would have to re-apply to Blue Cross of Idaho and, yes, pre-existing conditions would be excluded or coverage denied.

Did I mention that the husband had just had knee surgery for the second time due to an infection after the first surgery? That he needs to go through rehabilitation and that he would soon be facing shoulder surgery? Needless to say, their health coverage is extremely important and could not be jeopardized.

In a nutshell, an insurance company is dictating the lives of these three people. How many times have people not changed jobs because of this same issue, or lost their job and been unable to get or afford an individual health insurance policy? Unfortunately, this couple and mother now cannot make the move they so wanted.

It is simply disgraceful, and it’s certainly high time that we make our representatives confront this major issue on a meaningful level. We all have insurance stories like this one and in many cases much worse and more egregious. At a ground level, we should write to our representatives conveying these situations and demanding action. Don’t forget, our politicians get health insurance for life. It’s not an issue to them unless we make it one!