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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Out-of-network. Premium health services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Fixed payment. Co-insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Medical advisors. ACA. HMO. PPO. Exclusive Provider Organization. POS. HDHP. Health Savings Account. Flexible Spending Account. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. Explanation of Benefits. COBRA. SHOP. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Baffled? It's understandable. Who understands all this stuff? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Neither the average worker. Choosing the right healthcare insurance for our business – or for households – appears to require demands advanced expertise in medical insurance.

Our Healthcare System Is More Than Complex, It Is Costly

Based on recent research, typical households spends $twenty-seven thousand each year for their health insurance (increasing by 6% compared to last year). The average company healthcare expense is expected to exceed $17,000 per employee by 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

Now the government is shut down because partisan disputes over subsidies that experts say will lead to premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans.

When Will We Truly Examine Universal Healthcare?

How soon might we seriously consider universal healthcare coverage here in America? I'm convinced we're approaching that point because this can't continue.

I'm not proposing national healthcare. I'm proposing for our current Medicare program – an established insurance framework – simply expand to cover everyone. The existing system remains intact. The way our healthcare providers receive payment would change. Believe me, they'll adapt.

The Way Universal Coverage Could Function

A national health insurance program would need contributions from both workers and companies. In similar programs, a worker earning average wages must contribute approximately five point three percent toward medical coverage. The company pays approximately 13.75%.

Does this appear expensive? Not if you compare it to what the typical US resident spends. I know dozens of clients who are easily contributing between eight to fifteen percent of their employee wages to their healthcare costs. Remember that in inclusive programs, those payments include pension plans, sick pay, maternity leave and unemployment benefits in addition to supporting medical services. When including those costs compared with what we pay on retirement programs, job loss coverage and paid time off, the gap narrows.

Execution for America

In the US, a national health premium would raise our Medicare tax deduction, a system already established. It should be means-based – wealthier individuals would pay more than lower-income earners. There would be both worker and employer contribution. And, like much of federal military, technology, welfare services and transportation services, the system could be managed by private contractors rather than a government office.

Benefits for Small Businesses

Universal healthcare coverage represents a huge benefit for entrepreneurs such as my company. It would place small companies in equal competition against big corporations who can afford better plans. It would make management much easier (automatic payroll withholding remitted like retirement and Medicare taxes, rather than separate payments to insurance companies and insurance providers).

It would enable simpler for us to budget annual expenditures, rather than enduring the complex (and fruitless) process of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do every year. Due to simplification, there would be improved comprehension about benefits among workers – as opposed to the current system which require them to interpret the complications of current options. And there would certainly be less liability for companies since we wouldn't would be privy to workers' health histories for purposes of weighing risks and alternative plans.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as capitalist as possible. However I recognize that public institutions play important functions in our lives, including national security to supporting essential systems. Ensuring medical coverage for everyone via universal healthcare strengthens our economy's infrastructure. It represents superior, easier system for entrepreneurs that employ the majority of American employees and fund half of our GDP. It enables for workers to enjoy better health, have better attendance and be more productive.

Addressing Concerns

Are there numerous factors I haven't covered? Certainly. Given rising medical expenses we've seen in recent years, it's clear that current healthcare legislation isn't functioning effectively. I understand that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms are easier to implement. However extending universal Medicare, despite increased taxation required, would remain a superior and less expensive strategy for not only managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage for all citizens.

Time for Honest Assessment

We as Americans, we need to tone down our own arrogance. America's medical care isn't exceptional. We rank significantly behind numerous nations with the best healthcare in the world, based on comprehensive research. Perhaps a positive aspect in this present circumstances could be that we take serious examination in the mirror and acknowledge that major reforms need to happen.