🔗 Share this article

Out-of-pocket costs. In-network. Out-of-network. Premium health services. Personal healthcare costs. Co-payment. Co-insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Healthcare consultants. Affordable Care Act. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. POS. High Deductible Health Plan. HSA. Flexible Spending Account. HRA. EOB. COBRA. SHOP. Individual coverage. Family coverage. Premium tax credits.

Baffled? It's understandable. Who understands this complex system? Not the typical entrepreneur. Neither the average worker. Selecting the appropriate medical coverage for companies – or for our families – appears to require demands advanced expertise in healthcare.

Our Healthcare System Isn't Just Complicated, It's Costly

According to a recent study, the average family pays $27,000 each year on medical coverage (up 6% from last year). Typical company healthcare expense is expected to surpass $17,000 per employee by 2026, a 9.5% jump compared to 2025.

Currently federal operations is shut down due to partisan disputes over tax credits which analysts predict will lead to a doubling of premiums for millions of Americans.

When Might We Seriously Consider Universal Healthcare?

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

I'm not suggesting government-run medicine. I'm proposing for our current Medicare program – an insurance system – merely extend to cover everyone. Our infrastructure remains intact. How medical professionals get paid changes. Believe me, they will adjust.

The Way National Health Insurance Could Function

Universal healthcare coverage would need contributions from workers and companies. In comparable systems, an employee earning average wages pays approximately 5.3% to their healthcare. Their employer pays approximately thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this seem like a lot? Not if you contrast that with what the typical US resident spends. I can name dozens of clients that are routinely paying anywhere from eight to fifteen percent of their employee wages to their healthcare costs. And keep in mind that in inclusive programs, those payments include pension plans, illness coverage, parental benefits and job loss protection along with funding medical services. When you add those costs compared with our current spending for our retirement plans, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the difference decreases.

Execution in the US

In the US, universal healthcare funding would raise our Medicare tax deduction, a framework already established. It should be means-based – those at higher income levels would pay more than those earning less. This includes both an employee and employer contribution. And, like many federal military, IT, welfare services and infrastructure, the program should be outsourced to third-party administrators rather than federal agencies.

Advantages for Small Businesses

Universal healthcare coverage represents a huge benefit for entrepreneurs such as my company. It would place us on a level playing field with our larger competitors that can pay for better plans. It would make management much easier (automatic payroll withholding processed similarly to social security and healthcare taxes, instead of individual transactions to insurance companies and coverage administrators).

It would enable simpler to plan expenses our yearly costs, rather than going through the complex (and fruitless) process of bargaining with major insurers required annually each year. Because it's simplified, there would exist improved comprehension about benefits among workers – contrasted with existing arrangements which require them to decipher the complexities of current options. And there would certainly be reduced responsibility for companies since we wouldn't have access to workers' medical records for weighing risks and alternative plans.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as capitalist as possible. But I've learned that public institutions play important functions in our lives, from providing defense to supporting essential systems. Providing healthcare for everyone through a national insurance system strengthens our economy's infrastructure. It's a better, easier system for small businesses which hire the majority of the country's workers and fund half the economic output. It enables for workers to be healthier, come to work more often and increase productivity.

Considering Challenges

Are there a million considerations I'm not addressing? Certainly. Given all the healthcare cost increases we've seen recently, it's evident that current healthcare legislation is not working very well. And I realize that we're not a compact European nation where big changes are easier to implement. But expanding Medicare for all, despite increased taxation that would be incurred, would still be a better and more affordable strategy for not only managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage for all citizens.

Need for Honest Assessment

As Americans, we need to tone down our own arrogance. America's medical care isn't so great. The US places well below numerous nations with the best healthcare in the world, according to major studies. Maybe one positive aspect amid current situation is that we take a hard look in the mirror and agree that big changes are necessary.