Health care reform -- that word "reform" tests well among focus groups, much like "new and improved" -- is moving along with a little GOP support, but it's still generally a Democratic initiative.

Our health care system is broken. We spend more on health care per capita than any other country and have shorter lifespans to show for it. We have a "crisis" -- another overused word. But how we deal with the problem is as important as recognizing that we have one.

A big government solution to the problem is not the right direction in Clark's mind.

As a nation, we either get health care from a large employer; by working for government; or through Medicare/Medicaid based on age or income. It's an ad hoc system that doesn't recognize that we don't stay loyal to one employer for a lifetime anymore. So the very presumptions made by our health care system are based on a prior era.

What we need is more affordability and availability to purchase health coverage. Of course, Clark is painting a simplified picture. But there's too much emphasis on how complicated everything is, with hundreds of pages in bills floating around Congress that nobody understands because we're adding onto a broken system instead of doing a fresh start.

This is not a red vs. blue issue. Both parties have failed to lead and serve the American people on the health care issue. What we need is an individual market, with vouchers for those of lower income. And yet the free market is obviously not the answer to everything; just witness the bank-led financial meltdown. So you need a cop on the beat. Clark believes that cop for health care should be a public/private commission that would draw up standard health policies.

Most importantly, we have to remove health care from the grip of big business, big government and big insurance.

In recent weeks, Clark has been talking a lot about the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. You don't actually have to be a first-time homebuyer to qualify; you simply must not have owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to purchase.

There's still hope, however, for those who don't meet that loose criteria. Clark anticipates that December and January will be an extraordinary time to buy.

The reason behind his prediction is that the first-time homebuyer credit only provided artificial support for home purchasing. Much like people stopped buying cars when Cash for Clunkers ended, very few people will be purchasing houses when the $8,000 tax credit runs out on Nov. 30.

And, of course, autumn's procession of holidays and the arrival of winter always slow housing activity.

In other tax credit news, the consumer champ wants to get the word out about the federal subsidy of COBRA set to expire on Dec. 31.

The feds will pay for roughly two-thirds of your health premium once you get laid off. It's just there for the asking. That can be a great help when you consider that typically COBRA costs to an individual are your employer's premium plus two percent.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey has created controversy with an op-ed piece he penned for The Wall Street Journal.

Before we go any further, it's important to note that Mackey and Clark are not the same person. Yet so many of the positions Mackey takes in his piece mirror Clark's stances. Like Clark, the CEO recognizes that our problem is not having a true free-market driven solution to the healthcare quandary.

Right now, health insurance is very confusing. It's not easy to make an individual decision based on cost. Mackey would clean-sheet the whole model and go to a system of individual purchase decisions. You would get your healthcare from the free market, not necessarily from your employer as so many of us do.

For this idea and others, Mackey has set off a firestorm. There is now a Facebook page with 30,000 members (at last check) who are part of the Boycott Whole Foods movement. And in the Northeast, people are picketing the CEO outside of stores.

Clark would not normally shop at "Whole Paycheck," as he derisively calls it because of the chain's high prices. But the idea of boycotting Whole Foods because you don't like the position of the CEO is silly.

Normally, CEOs hide behind layers of corporate lingo and bureaucracy to disguise their feelings. Clark thinks it's refreshing to hear one actually take a stand for something he believes in passionately.

When all is said and done, the idea of adding additional obligations on taxpayers to foot the healthcare reform bill -- especially when we can't pay our existing bills -- is reckless, dangerous and not possible.

Do you need to buy an individual health insurance policy because of a layoff, or because you're self-employed or work as an independent contractor? Clark knows it can be a daunting experience.

So often, the consumer champ gets calls from people who tell him what they paid for a policy and then ask him if it's a good price. There is no one answer. It depends on what's covered under the plan, the amount of the deductible and the limits therein.

We don't have what economists would call a "transparent market place." That means it's very difficult to shop apples-to-apples across the market.

The consumer champ has long advocated that coverage be standardized. In Clark's ideal world, there would be just 12 health plans offered to everyone: 3 HMOs, 3 PPOs, 3 HSAs and 3 of the traditional 80/20 splits. Every insurer would have to sell identical plans. That way you could switch to another insurer's HMO plan No. 2, for example, if your insurer's HMO plan No. 2 is too costly.

But until the day when that becomes a reality, here are 2 websites that can walk you through the process of buying an individual policy:

• HealthCareCoach.com
• HealthInsuranceInfo.net (contains state-specific info)

Doctors are being squeezed between what they're paid from insurers and what they're paid from Medicare/Medicaid. The reality is that doctors often make no money or even lose money when they see you. So they're shifting their practices to reflect the free market.

For example, take the field of dermatology. If you have a suspicious mole, you may wait months for an appointment if you're an insurance customer. But if you're willing to pay cash for cosmetic dermatology, you can usually be seen in 24-48 hours.

The New York Times reports that dermatologists and laser-eye surgeons are even building separate waiting rooms for cash customers. They're rolling out the red carpet with fancy furniture, free lattes and more. Contrast that with the ratty furniture and long-expired magazines that fill traditional waiting rooms for insured customers.

The doctors are not bad guys; they're simply business people. You can't blame them for wanting to put food on the table. It's the current health insurance system that deserves your ire.

The Washington Post reports that health "credit reports" have been compiled on 200 million Americans. Ingenix and Milliman are 2 companies that make billions of dollars developing profiles based on your prescriptions. A "pharmacy risk score" tells insurers the risk level you pose to them as a potential customer.

Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) actually sell your information regarding prescriptions. PBMs are a popular option at companies because they offer cheaper prices when you get your drugs online or through the mail -- instead of at a retail pharmacy.

The info in your health "credit report" can be used by an insurer to charge you more or decline you coverage altogether.

Another wrinkle in the story comes with "off-label" prescriptions. Off-label refers to using a prescription for an unintended use. For example, your doctor may be using a depression medication to treat your stomachache. But that off-label usage could redline you with insurers who don't want to see a history of depression medication -- even though you're not depressed.

Under new federal rules, you are allowed to see your health "credit report" from Ingenix and Milliman.

However, the real problem is not the lack of privacy, but rather the way that insurers are allowed to redline you. We need insurance coverage based on community-rating standards -- that is to say, age and sex.

The latest stats from the Center for Disease Control show emergency rooms visits are up. Some 120 million of us visited the ER in 2006 -- the last year for which records are available.

Historically, the ER has been for uninsured people. But today, a very large numbers of insured individuals are making the trek -- even for non-emergency conditions in the middle of the day.

What's going on? Well, many people no longer have primary care doctors. So they just go to the hospital. Not a good idea. The wait is very long and you have to be assessed in triage; there's no "first come, first serve" service. The visits are also massively expensive even with insurance.

If you do have insurance, you'd be better off taking the time to pick a primary care doctor. This also allows for continuity of care and easy follow-up visits.

But most people won't get around to selecting a primary care doc. That's why there are alternatives like "nurse-in-a-boxes," which can be found at supermarkets, drug stores, Wal-Marts, etc. Nurse-in-a-boxes usually have a price list so you know how much you'll pay to be seen by a nurse practitioner.

Another alternative comes in the form of Doctor of Nursing Practice programs being offered at some 200 schools. These doctoral-level programs require nurses to take the same qualifying exam as a doctor. Clark loves that the marketplace is developing an answer to the primary care crunch.

It’s the time of year to decide whether you’re going to participate in your company’s Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and the time of year to get your paperwork in if you already participate. If you’re not familiar with an FSA, it’s a medical benefit that mid-size and large-size companies offer to people who want to set aside money for medical expenses. It’s pre-tax money, and you can have two accounts. There are FSAs for your children or elderly relatives, which are known as a “dependent care” accounts. Then there are individual FSAs for you and your own medical care. They cover non-reimbursed medical expenses, including contact lenses, laser eye surgery, hearing aids, prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines and some co-payments. You have to fund each account separately, and the individual account will hold up to $3,000. With dependent care, babysitter costs and day care costs are eligible. It’s important that you underestimate how much you think you’ll spend. The reason is that if you don’t use it, you lose it. Clark put too much money in one of his account and forfeited about $400 last year. So, if you have money left to spend, look at the bills for which you haven’t been reimbursed. If you do, buy medicines or have an eye exam, and use it up. Also, keep in mind that FSAs are completely different than HSAs or health savings accounts. With those, you can carry the money forward. But with an FSA you cannot. So use it!