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Deductibles. In-network. Non-preferred providers. Premium health services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Fixed payment. Shared insurance. Insurance consultants. Coverage agents. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. Health Maintenance Organization. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. Point of Service. High Deductible Health Plan. Health Savings Account. Flexible Spending Account. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. EOB. COBRA. SHOP. Individual coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Baffled? You should be. Who comprehends all this stuff? Certainly not the average business owner. Nor the typical employee. Selecting the right medical coverage for our business – or for our families – appears to require it requires advanced expertise in medical insurance.

Our Medical System Is More Than Complicated, It Is Costly

Based on a recent study, typical households pays $twenty-seven thousand each year on medical coverage (increasing by 6% from last year). The average employer health insurance cost is projected to surpass $seventeen thousand per employee in 2026, an increase of 9.5% from 2025.

Currently the government is shut down due to partisan disputes over subsidies which analysts predict could cause a doubling of premiums for numerous US citizens.

When Will We Seriously Consider National Health Insurance?

When will we genuinely evaluate universal healthcare coverage here in America? I have to believe we're getting closer since this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not proposing national healthcare. I'm proposing for our current Medicare system – an established insurance framework – simply expand to include all citizens. The existing system doesn't change. The way our healthcare providers receive payment would change. Believe me, they'll adapt.

The Way National Health Insurance Could Function

Universal healthcare coverage would require payments from both employees and employers. In comparable systems, an employee making average wages pays approximately five point three percent toward medical coverage. Their employer pays about 13.75%.

Does this appear like a lot? Not if you compare that with what the typical American pays. I know dozens of clients who are easily contributing between eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs for medical benefits. Remember that in comprehensive systems, these contributions include retirement benefits, illness coverage, maternity leave and job loss protection along with funding healthcare facilities. When including these expenses versus what we pay for our retirement plans, unemployment insurance and vacation benefits, the difference decreases.

Implementation in the US

For America, a national health premium would increase existing Medicare taxes, a framework that is already in place. It ought to be means-based – wealthier individuals would pay more than lower-income earners. There would be both worker and company payments. Similar to many federal military, technology, welfare services and infrastructure, the program should be outsourced to third-party administrators instead of federal agencies.

Benefits for Small Businesses

Universal healthcare coverage represents a huge benefit for entrepreneurs like mine. It would put small companies in equal competition against big corporations who can afford better plans. It would render management much easier (automatic payroll withholding processed similarly to social security and healthcare taxes, rather than individual transactions to benefit firms and coverage administrators).

It would make it easier to plan expenses annual expenditures, instead of enduring the complex (and ineffective) theater of negotiating with the big insurance providers required annually each year. Because it's simplified, there would be improved comprehension about benefits among workers – contrasted with existing arrangements which require them to decipher the complexities of existing plans. And there would certainly be less liability for employers as we no longer would be privy to our employees' medical records for weighing risks and different options.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as pro-market as possible. But I've learned that public institutions has a significant role in our lives, including national security to supporting essential systems. Ensuring medical coverage for everyone through a national insurance system enhances our economy's infrastructure. It represents superior, easier system for entrepreneurs that employ the majority of the country's workers and generate half the economic output. It makes it possible employees to be healthier, have better attendance and increase productivity.

Addressing Concerns

Are there numerous factors I haven't covered? Certainly. Given rising medical expenses we've seen in recent years, it's evident that the Affordable Care Act is not working effectively. I understand that we're not 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 more affordable approach for not only managing medical expenses but providing access to everyone.

Need for Honest Assessment

As Americans, we need to tone down national pride. America's medical care isn't so great. We rank significantly behind many other countries with the best healthcare in the world, based on major studies. Maybe one bright spot amid current situation could be that we undertake serious examination in the mirror and acknowledge that major reforms need to happen.