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Out-of-pocket costs. In-network. Non-preferred providers. Premium health services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Co-payment. Co-insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. Health Maintenance Organization. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. POS. HDHP. HSA. Flexible Spending Account. HRA. EOB. COBRA. SHOP. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Premium tax credits.

Confused? It's understandable. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Nor the typical worker. Selecting the appropriate healthcare insurance for our business – or for our families – seems like it requires advanced expertise in medical insurance.

The Healthcare System Is More Than Complicated, It's Expensive

Based on recent research, the average family pays $twenty-seven thousand annually for their health insurance (up 6% compared to last year). The average employer health insurance cost is expected to surpass $17,000 per employee in 2026, an increase of 9.5% from 2025.

Currently federal operations has ceased functioning due to partisan disputes regarding subsidies that experts say will lead to premium increases up to 100% for numerous US citizens.

When Might We Truly Examine National Health Insurance?

When will we seriously consider a national health insurance program in the United States? I have to believe we're approaching that point since this can't continue.

I'm not proposing government-run medicine. I'm advocating for our current Medicare system – an established insurance framework – merely extend to include all citizens. Our infrastructure doesn't change. The way medical professionals get paid would change. Trust me, they'll adapt.

How Universal Coverage Could Function

A national health insurance program would need contributions from both workers and companies. In comparable systems, an employee making average wages pays approximately 5.3% to their healthcare. The company must contribute about thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this appear expensive? Not if you compare that with what the typical American pays. I know dozens of businesses who are routinely paying between eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs to their healthcare costs. Remember that with inclusive programs, those payments include pension plans, illness coverage, parental benefits and job loss protection along with funding medical services. When including those costs versus what we pay for our retirement plans, unemployment insurance and paid time off, the gap narrows.

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 ought to be income-adjusted – those at higher income levels would pay more than lower-income earners. This includes both worker and company payments. Similar to many federal military, IT, welfare services and transportation services, the system should be outsourced by private contractors rather than a government office.

Benefits for Entrepreneurs

Universal healthcare coverage represents a huge benefit for entrepreneurs like mine. It would put small companies in equal competition with our larger competitors who can afford superior coverage. It would render management significantly simpler (a payroll deduction remitted like social security and healthcare taxes, rather than individual transactions to benefit firms and insurance providers).

It would enable simpler to plan expenses our yearly costs, rather than enduring the complex (and ineffective) process of negotiating with the big insurance providers that we must do every year. Due to simplification, there would exist a better understanding about benefits by our employees – as opposed to the current system where they have to decipher the complexities of current options. And there would definitely exist reduced responsibility for employers since we wouldn't have access to workers' medical records for weighing risks and different options.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as capitalist as they get. However I recognize that government has a significant role in our lives, including national security to funding essential systems. Ensuring medical coverage to all via universal healthcare strengthens economic foundations. It's a better, easier system for small businesses which hire the majority of the country's workers and generate half the economic output. It enables employees to be healthier, have better attendance and increase productivity.

Considering Challenges

Are there numerous factors I'm not addressing? Of course there are. But with rising medical expenses we've seen recently, it's clear that the Affordable Care Act isn't functioning effectively. And I realize that America isn't a small, Scandinavian country where big changes can be readily adopted. However extending Medicare for all, even with the additional taxes that would be incurred, would remain a better and less expensive approach for not only managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage to everyone.

Time for Honest Assessment

As Americans, must reduce our own arrogance. Our healthcare system isn't exceptional. The US places well below many other countries in healthcare quality in the world, based on major studies. Perhaps a positive aspect in this present circumstances could be that we take serious examination in the mirror and agree that major reforms need to happen.