🔗 Share this article

Deductibles. In-network. Non-preferred providers. Concierge medical services. Personal healthcare costs. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Insurance consultants. Insurance brokers. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. HMO. PPO. Exclusive Provider Organization. Point of Service. HDHP. HSA. Flexible Spending Account. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. Explanation of Benefits. COBRA. SHOP. Individual coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Confused? You should be. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Nor the typical employee. Selecting the appropriate medical coverage for companies – or for households – appears to require demands a PhD in healthcare.

The Healthcare System Isn't Just Complicated, It Is Costly

According to a recent study, the average family pays $twenty-seven thousand annually for their health insurance (increasing by 6% compared to last year). The average employer health insurance cost is projected to surpass $seventeen thousand for each worker in 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

Now federal operations is shut down due to political disagreements over subsidies which analysts predict could cause a doubling of premiums for numerous US citizens.

When Will We Seriously Consider Universal Healthcare?

When will we genuinely evaluate a national health insurance program in the United States? I'm convinced we're getting closer because this can't continue.

I'm not proposing government-run medicine. I'm proposing for our current Medicare program – an established insurance framework – merely extend to cover everyone. Our infrastructure doesn't change. How medical professionals receive payment changes. Trust me, they'll adapt.

The Way National Health Insurance Could Function

Universal healthcare coverage would need contributions from employees and employers. In comparable systems, a worker making moderate income pays about five point three percent to their healthcare. Their employer pays about 13.75%.

Does this appear like a lot? Not if you contrast it to what the typical US resident spends. I know dozens of clients that are routinely paying anywhere from eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs to their healthcare costs. Remember that in inclusive programs, those payments include retirement benefits, illness coverage, maternity leave and job loss protection in addition to supporting medical services. When you add those costs versus our current spending on retirement programs, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the difference decreases.

Implementation in the US

In the US, a national health premium would raise 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. This includes both an employee and employer contribution. And, like much of federal defense, technology, welfare services and infrastructure, the program should be outsourced by private contractors rather than a government office.

Benefits for Small Businesses

Universal healthcare coverage represents a significant advantage for entrepreneurs such as my company. It would place small companies in equal competition against big corporations who can afford superior coverage. It would render administration much easier (a payroll deduction remitted like social security and Medicare taxes, instead of individual transactions to insurance companies and coverage administrators).

It would make it easier to plan expenses annual expenditures, instead of going through the complex (and ineffective) theater of negotiating with major insurers required annually every year. Because it's simplified, there would be improved comprehension about benefits among workers – as opposed to existing arrangements where they have to interpret the complications of current options. And there would definitely exist less liability for companies since we wouldn't would be privy to our employees' medical records for purposes of weighing risks and different options.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as pro-market as possible. But I've learned that government play important functions in society, from providing defense to funding essential systems. Ensuring medical coverage to all through a national insurance system strengthens economic foundations. It's a better, simpler approach for small businesses that employ more than half of the country's workers and fund half of our GDP. It enables for workers to be healthier, come to work more often and increase productivity.

Considering Challenges

Exist a million considerations I'm not addressing? Of course there are. Given rising medical expenses we've seen recently, it's clear that the Affordable Care Act is not working very well. And I realize that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms are easier to implement. But expanding universal Medicare, despite the additional taxes that would be incurred, would still be a better and less expensive approach for not only managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage for all citizens.

Need for Honest Assessment

We as Americans, must reduce national pride. Our healthcare system isn't so great. We rank significantly behind numerous nations in healthcare quality globally, based on major studies. Perhaps a bright spot amid current situation could be that we take a hard look in the mirror and agree that big changes are necessary.