I wouldn't say half the price, closer to 50%. I just priced out a reasonable Volt vs. a reasonable Prius:

Volt: $41K
Prius $28K

Doesn't seem worth it even if the Volt is a better car.

When I worked as a contractor for the state of California IBM was making a *lot* of cash off of Z/OS and their mainframe. My project alone threw a couple hundred thousand dollars their way for a new processor and zip card. This was a small fraction of the total money that the bureau I worked under threw their way.

Oh, and the DMV modernization project? That was upgrading the assembler code to COBOL on Z/OS. I'm sure a couple million in new mainframe hardware was purchased.

Maybe it's small potatoes but it sure seemed like IBM was getting a good deal of cash from the state of California for antiquated hardware.

I would look into any companies that are doing it work for the health care industry. That's one of the few businesses that seems to be picking up in todays economy. IT is doing better than most other industries, but not well. Health care is doing really well. Combine that with IT and you are upping your chances for success.

I'd research any emerging or existing standards for digital health care records, and pursue the companies behind the standards. Many open standards also have group meetings that you may be able to attend. Although the meetings may be boring, networking opportunities can be key.
Good luck!