🔗 Share this article

Deductibles. Preferred providers. Out-of-network. Premium health services. Personal healthcare costs. Fixed payment. Shared insurance. Benefit advisers. Coverage agents. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. Point of Service. HDHP. HSA. FSA. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. Explanation of Benefits. COBRA. Small Business Health Options Program. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Confused? You should be. Who comprehends this complex system? Not the typical entrepreneur. Neither the average employee. Selecting the right healthcare insurance for our business – or for households – appears to require it requires advanced expertise in healthcare.

Our Healthcare System Isn't Just Complex, It's Expensive

According to recent research, the average family pays $twenty-seven thousand annually for their health insurance (up 6% from last year). The average company healthcare expense is projected to surpass $17,000 per employee by 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

Now federal operations has ceased functioning because partisan disputes regarding subsidies which analysts predict could cause premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans.

When Will We Seriously Consider National Health Insurance?

When will we genuinely evaluate a national health insurance program here in America? I'm convinced we're getting closer because this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not proposing government-run medicine. I'm proposing that our already existing Medicare program – an established insurance framework – merely extend to cover everyone. The existing system doesn't change. How our healthcare providers get paid changes. Believe me, they'll adapt.

The Way Universal Coverage Would Work

A national health insurance program would require contributions from employees and employers. In comparable systems, an employee making average wages pays approximately five point three percent to their healthcare. The company pays about thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this appear expensive? Not if you contrast it to what the typical US resident spends. I can name multiple clients who are easily contributing between eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs for medical benefits. And keep in mind that with inclusive programs, those payments include retirement benefits, sick pay, maternity leave and unemployment benefits in addition to supporting medical services. When you add those costs compared with what we pay for our retirement plans, unemployment insurance and vacation benefits, the gap narrows.

Implementation in the US

For America, a national health premium would raise existing Medicare taxes, a framework that is already in place. It should be income-adjusted – wealthier individuals would contribute higher amounts than lower-income earners. There would be both worker and employer contribution. Similar to much of our government's defense, technology, welfare services and infrastructure, the system should be outsourced to third-party administrators instead of federal agencies.

Advantages for Small Businesses

A national health insurance program represents a significant advantage for entrepreneurs such as my company. It would place small companies in equal competition against big corporations that can pay for better plans. It would make administration significantly simpler (automatic payroll withholding processed similarly to social security and healthcare taxes, rather than separate payments to benefit firms and insurance providers).

It would enable simpler for us to budget annual expenditures, instead of enduring the complex (and ineffective) theater of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do each year. Due to simplification, there would exist a better understanding of coverage by our employees – as opposed to the current system where they have to decipher the complexities of existing plans. And there would definitely exist less liability for employers since we wouldn't would be privy to workers' medical records for weighing risks and alternative plans.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as capitalist as they get. But I've learned that public institutions has a significant role in society, including national security to funding needed infrastructure. Providing healthcare to all via universal healthcare enhances economic foundations. It's a better, easier system for small businesses which hire more than half of American employees and generate half of our GDP. It makes it possible employees to be healthier, have better attendance and increase productivity.

Considering Challenges

Exist a million considerations I'm not addressing? Of course there are. But with rising medical expenses experienced recently, it's clear that the Affordable Care Act isn't functioning very well. And I realize that we're not a compact European nation where major reforms are easier to implement. But expanding universal Medicare, even with the additional taxes that would be incurred, would remain a superior and less expensive strategy for not only managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage to everyone.

Need for Honest Assessment

As Americans, we need to tone down national pride. Our healthcare system isn't exceptional. We rank significantly behind numerous nations with the best healthcare globally, according to major studies. Maybe one positive aspect amid current situation is that we undertake a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge that big changes need to happen.