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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Out-of-network. Premium health services. Personal healthcare costs. Fixed payment. Shared insurance. Insurance consultants. Insurance brokers. Medical advisors. ACA. HMO. PPO. EPO. Point of Service. High Deductible Health Plan. HSA. FSA. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. EOB. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. SHOP. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Premium tax credits.

Baffled? You should be. Who comprehends this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Nor the typical employee. Selecting the right healthcare insurance for our business – or for households – appears to require demands advanced expertise in healthcare.

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

Based on recent research, typical households pays $27,000 each year for their health insurance (increasing by 6% compared to last year). The average company healthcare expense is expected to exceed $seventeen thousand for each worker by 2026, a 9.5% jump compared to 2025.

Currently the government is shut down due to partisan disputes over subsidies that experts say could cause premium increases up to 100% for numerous US citizens.

When Will We Truly Examine National Health Insurance?

How soon might we seriously consider universal healthcare coverage in the United States? I'm convinced we're approaching that point because this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not suggesting government-run medicine. I'm proposing for our current Medicare program – an established insurance framework – simply expand to include all citizens. The existing system doesn't change. The way medical professionals receive payment changes. Believe me, they will adjust.

How National Health Insurance Could Function

Universal healthcare coverage would require contributions from both workers and companies. In comparable systems, an employee earning average wages pays approximately 5.3% to their healthcare. The company pays approximately 13.75%.

Does this appear expensive? Not if you compare that with what average US resident spends. I can name multiple businesses who are routinely paying between eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs for medical benefits. Remember that in inclusive programs, those payments also cover retirement benefits, illness coverage, maternity leave and job loss protection along with supporting medical services. When including those costs versus our current spending on retirement programs, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the gap narrows.

Implementation for America

For America, universal healthcare funding would raise existing Medicare taxes, a framework that is already in place. It ought to be income-adjusted – those at higher income levels would contribute higher amounts than those earning less. There would be both worker and company payments. And, like many federal defense, IT, social programs and transportation services, the system should be outsourced to third-party administrators rather than a government office.

Advantages for Small Businesses

A national health insurance program represents a significant advantage for small businesses such as my company. It would put us on a level playing field against big corporations that can pay for better plans. It would render management much easier (automatic payroll withholding remitted like social security and healthcare taxes, rather than individual transactions to benefit firms and insurance providers).

It would make it easier for us to budget our yearly costs, rather than going through the complicated (and fruitless) theater of negotiating with major insurers required annually every year. Due to simplification, there would be improved comprehension of coverage among workers – contrasted with existing arrangements which require them to decipher the complications of current options. And there would certainly be reduced responsibility for companies as we no longer would be privy to our employees' health histories for purposes of weighing risks and different options.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as pro-market as possible. But I've learned that government has a significant role in society, including national security to funding needed infrastructure. Providing healthcare to all via universal healthcare 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 makes it possible employees to be healthier, come to work more often and be more productive.

Addressing Concerns

Are there a million considerations I haven't covered? Of course there are. Given all the healthcare cost increases we've seen recently, it's evident that current healthcare legislation is not working effectively. And I realize that we're not a compact European nation where big changes are easier to implement. However extending universal Medicare, despite increased taxation 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 national pride. America's medical care isn't so great. The US places significantly behind many other countries with the best healthcare globally, according to comprehensive research. Perhaps a bright spot amid present circumstances could be that we take serious examination at ourselves and acknowledge that big changes need to happen.