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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Non-preferred providers. Premium health services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Fixed payment. Shared insurance. Insurance consultants. Insurance brokers. Healthcare consultants. Affordable Care Act. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. POS. High Deductible Health Plan. HSA. FSA. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. EOB. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. SHOP. Individual coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Baffled? You should be. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Neither the average worker. Choosing the right medical coverage for companies – or for our families – appears to require demands a PhD in medical insurance.

The Healthcare System Is More Than Complex, It's Costly

Based on a recent study, the average family spends $twenty-seven thousand each year for their health insurance (increasing by 6% compared to last year). Typical company healthcare expense is projected to surpass $17,000 for each worker in 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

Currently federal operations is shut down due to partisan disputes regarding subsidies which analysts predict will lead to premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans.

When Might We Truly Examine Universal Healthcare?

How soon might we seriously consider universal healthcare coverage here in America? I'm convinced we're approaching that point since this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not suggesting national healthcare. I'm advocating that our already existing Medicare program – an insurance system – merely extend to include all citizens. The existing system remains intact. How medical professionals get paid would change. Believe me, they will adjust.

The Way National Health Insurance Would Work

Universal healthcare coverage would need contributions from both workers and companies. In similar programs, a worker earning average wages must contribute approximately 5.3% to their healthcare. The company must contribute about 13.75%.

Does this appear expensive? Not if you compare that with what the typical US resident spends. I can name dozens of clients who are routinely paying between eight to fifteen percent of their employee wages for medical benefits. Remember that with inclusive programs, those payments also cover retirement benefits, sick pay, maternity leave and job loss protection along with supporting medical services. When you add these expenses compared with what we pay for our retirement plans, unemployment insurance and vacation benefits, the difference decreases.

Execution in the US

In the US, a national health premium would increase our Medicare tax deduction, a system that is already in place. It should be income-adjusted – wealthier individuals would pay more than those earning less. There would be both worker and employer contribution. And, like much of our government's defense, technology, welfare services and infrastructure, the system could be managed to third-party administrators rather than federal agencies.

Benefits for Entrepreneurs

A national health insurance program would be a significant advantage for small businesses such as my company. It would place small companies in equal competition against big corporations that can pay for superior coverage. It would make management much easier (automatic payroll withholding remitted like retirement and healthcare taxes, rather than separate payments to benefit firms and coverage administrators).

It would enable simpler to plan expenses our yearly costs, rather than enduring the complicated (and fruitless) theater of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do each year. Due to simplification, there would exist a better understanding about benefits among workers – as opposed to existing arrangements where they have to decipher the complications of current options. And there would definitely exist less liability for companies since we wouldn't have access to our employees' health histories for purposes of risk assessment and different options.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as pro-market as they get. But I've learned that public institutions play important functions in our lives, from providing defense to supporting needed infrastructure. Ensuring medical coverage for everyone via universal healthcare strengthens our economy's infrastructure. It represents superior, simpler approach for entrepreneurs that employ the majority of American employees and generate half of our GDP. It makes it possible employees to be healthier, have better attendance and be more productive.

Addressing Concerns

Are there a million considerations I'm not addressing? Of course there are. But with all the healthcare cost increases we've seen recently, it's evident that current healthcare legislation isn't functioning very well. And I realize that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms are easier to implement. However extending universal Medicare, even with increased taxation required, would still be a superior and less expensive approach both for managing medical expenses but providing access to everyone.

Need for Realistic Evaluation

We as Americans, we need to tone down our own arrogance. America's medical care isn't exceptional. The US places significantly behind numerous nations with the best healthcare in the world, according to major studies. Maybe one positive aspect amid present circumstances could be that we undertake a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge that major reforms are necessary.