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Out-of-pocket costs. Preferred providers. Non-preferred providers. Concierge medical services. Personal healthcare costs. Fixed payment. Shared insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. Exclusive Provider Organization. Point of Service. High Deductible Health Plan. Health Savings Account. Flexible Spending Account. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. Explanation of Benefits. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Small Business Health Options Program. Single coverage. Family coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Baffled? It's understandable. Who understands this complex system? Not the typical entrepreneur. Neither the average worker. Choosing the right healthcare insurance for our business – or for households – seems like demands a PhD in medical insurance.

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

According to recent research, the average family spends $twenty-seven thousand annually for their health insurance (increasing by 6% from last year). Typical company healthcare expense is expected to exceed $seventeen thousand per employee by 2026, a 9.5% jump compared to 2025.

Currently the government has ceased functioning due to partisan disputes over subsidies which analysts predict will lead to a doubling of premiums for numerous US citizens.

When Might We Seriously Consider Universal Healthcare?

How soon might we genuinely evaluate a national health insurance program here in America? I'm convinced we're getting closer since this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not proposing national healthcare. I'm advocating for our current Medicare system – an insurance system – simply expand to cover everyone. Our infrastructure remains intact. How medical professionals receive payment changes. Believe me, they'll adapt.

How Universal Coverage Would Work

A national health insurance program would need payments from both workers and companies. In similar programs, an employee making moderate income must contribute about five point three percent to their healthcare. The company pays approximately 13.75%.

Does this appear expensive? Not if you contrast it to what the typical US resident spends. I can name dozens of businesses who are routinely paying anywhere from eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs for medical benefits. Remember that in comprehensive systems, those payments include pension plans, illness coverage, maternity leave and unemployment benefits along with funding medical services. When you add these expenses versus our current spending for our retirement plans, unemployment insurance and paid time off, the difference decreases.

Implementation for America

For America, universal healthcare funding would increase our Medicare tax deduction, a system that is already in place. It should be means-based – wealthier individuals would pay more than those earning less. There would be both an employee and employer contribution. And, like many federal defense, technology, social programs and transportation services, the system could be managed by private contractors instead of a government office.

Advantages for Small Businesses

Universal healthcare coverage would be a significant advantage for small businesses like mine. It would place small companies in equal competition with our larger competitors who can afford better plans. It would render management significantly simpler (automatic payroll withholding processed similarly to retirement and Medicare taxes, rather than individual transactions to insurance companies and insurance providers).

It would enable simpler to plan expenses annual expenditures, instead of enduring the complicated (and fruitless) theater of negotiating with major insurers required annually every year. Due to simplification, there would be improved comprehension of coverage by our employees – as opposed to the current system where they have to interpret the complexities of existing plans. Additionally there would definitely exist less liability for employers as we no longer have access to our employees' medical records for weighing risks and different options.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as capitalist as they get. But I've learned that government has a significant role in our lives, including national security to supporting needed infrastructure. Providing healthcare for everyone through a national insurance system strengthens economic foundations. It's a better, easier system for small businesses that employ the majority of American employees and fund half the economic output. It enables employees to be healthier, come to work more often and be more productive.

Addressing Concerns

Are there numerous factors I haven't covered? Certainly. Given all the healthcare cost increases we've seen recently, it's evident that current healthcare legislation isn't functioning very well. I understand that America isn't a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms can be readily adopted. But expanding universal Medicare, even with increased taxation that would be incurred, would still be a superior and less expensive strategy for not only managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage for all citizens.

Time for Realistic Evaluation

We as Americans, we need to reduce national pride. Our healthcare system isn't so great. The US places well below many other countries with the best healthcare in the world, according to major studies. Maybe one positive aspect amid present circumstances could be that we undertake a hard look in the mirror and agree that major reforms are necessary.