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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Non-preferred providers. Concierge medical services. Personal healthcare costs. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Insurance consultants. Insurance brokers. Healthcare consultants. Affordable Care Act. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. POS. HDHP. Health Savings Account. FSA. HRA. EOB. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Small Business Health Options Program. Single coverage. Family coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Baffled? It's understandable. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Nor the typical employee. Selecting the right medical coverage for our business – or for our families – seems like demands advanced expertise in healthcare.

Our Medical System Is More Than Complicated, It Is Costly

According to a recent study, the average family pays $twenty-seven thousand annually for their health insurance (up 6% from last year). Typical employer health insurance cost is projected to exceed $seventeen thousand per employee in 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

Currently federal operations has ceased functioning due to political disagreements regarding subsidies that experts say will lead to a doubling of premiums for numerous US citizens.

When Will We Seriously Consider Universal Healthcare?

How soon might we genuinely evaluate a national health insurance program in the United States? I'm convinced we're getting closer because this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not suggesting government-run medicine. I'm advocating that our already existing Medicare system – an insurance system – merely extend to include all citizens. The existing system doesn't change. How medical professionals get paid changes. Believe me, they'll adapt.

How National Health Insurance Could Function

Universal healthcare coverage would need payments from both workers and companies. In similar programs, a worker making average wages pays about 5.3% toward medical coverage. The company must contribute about thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this seem expensive? Unless you contrast that with what average US resident spends. I know dozens of clients who are routinely paying anywhere from 8% to 15% of payroll costs to their healthcare costs. And keep in mind that in comprehensive systems, those payments include pension plans, illness coverage, maternity leave and unemployment benefits in addition to supporting healthcare facilities. When you add those costs versus what we pay on retirement programs, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the gap narrows.

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 lower-income earners. This includes both an employee and company payments. And, like much of our government's defense, IT, social programs and infrastructure, the system should be outsourced by private contractors rather than federal agencies.

Advantages for Small Businesses

A national health insurance program would be a huge benefit for entrepreneurs such as my company. It would place us on a level playing field against big corporations who can afford better plans. It would make management much easier (automatic payroll withholding remitted like retirement and Medicare taxes, instead of separate payments to benefit firms and coverage administrators).

It would enable it easier for us to budget annual expenditures, instead of going through the complex (and fruitless) theater of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do each year. Due to simplification, there would be a better understanding of coverage by our employees – contrasted with existing arrangements where they have to decipher the complexities of existing plans. And there would certainly be less liability for employers since we wouldn't have access to our employees' medical records for weighing risks and different options.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as pro-market as they get. However I recognize that government has a significant role in our lives, from providing defense to supporting essential systems. Providing healthcare for everyone through a national insurance system enhances economic foundations. It represents superior, simpler approach for small businesses which hire the majority of American employees and generate half of our GDP. It makes it possible employees to enjoy better health, come to work more often and be more productive.

Considering Challenges

Exist numerous factors I haven't covered? Certainly. But with all the healthcare cost increases experienced in recent years, it's clear that current healthcare legislation isn't functioning very well. And I realize that America isn't a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms are easier to implement. However extending Medicare for all, despite the additional taxes required, would still be a better and less expensive strategy for not only managing medical expenses but providing access to everyone.

Need for Honest Assessment

We as Americans, we need to reduce national pride. Our healthcare system isn't so great. We rank significantly behind many other countries with the best healthcare globally, based on comprehensive research. Perhaps a positive aspect in this present circumstances is that we take a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge that major reforms need to happen.