We're at a point in our country where 1 in 5 people don't have health insurance. It's not always the same 47 or so million who do without it at any one moment. It's constantly changing as people lose jobs and get hired. The oddball thing is that insured patients get quoted a rate that is as little as one-tenth the "retail" price of a medical service or procedure. But if you're uninsured, you pay full price and it seems like the hospital wanted the money from you yesterday. Now California has become one of two states (the other being New York) where hospitals must publish their price lists on a website. This helps the uninsured comparison shop in non-emergency situations.

Clark recently had some lab work sent to a facility that didn't have a deal with his insurer. So he was billed at the phony full "retail" price. He had to meet a big deductible before the insurer picked anything up. It's as if he was beaten up twice. There's such a shocking disparity between the billing for the insured and the uninsured. The healthcare issue has been a big one on the campaign trail. While the Dems treat it as a primary issue, it's been more of a sleeper one for the GOP. But ultimately to solve this, Clark thinks all health coverage should be individually purchased -- not gotten through your employer. Healthcare costs would be dramatically lower under that scenario. You don't go to your employer for car insurance and you don't lose your home insurance because you lost your job, do you?