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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Out-of-network. Premium health services. Personal healthcare costs. Fixed payment. Co-insurance. Benefit advisers. Coverage agents. Healthcare consultants. ACA. Health Maintenance Organization. PPO. EPO. Point of Service. HDHP. HSA. Flexible Spending Account. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. EOB. COBRA. Small Business Health Options Program. Single coverage. Family coverage. Premium tax credits.

Baffled? You should be. Who comprehends all this stuff? Certainly not the average business owner. Nor the typical worker. Choosing the appropriate healthcare insurance for companies – or for our families – appears to require it requires a PhD in medical insurance.

The Healthcare System Is More Than Complicated, It Is Costly

According to a recent study, the average family pays $27,000 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, an increase of 9.5% from 2025.

Now federal operations is shut down due to partisan disputes over subsidies which analysts predict will lead to premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans.

When Will We Seriously Consider National Health Insurance?

How soon might we genuinely evaluate universal healthcare coverage in the United States? I have to believe we're getting closer because this can't continue.

I'm not proposing government-run medicine. I'm advocating for our current Medicare system – an insurance system – merely extend to include all citizens. Our infrastructure doesn't change. How medical professionals get paid changes. Trust me, they'll adapt.

The Way National Health Insurance Would Work

Universal healthcare coverage would require contributions from workers and companies. In similar programs, a worker earning moderate income must contribute about 5.3% to their healthcare. Their employer pays about thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this seem like a lot? Not if you compare that with what the typical US resident spends. I can name multiple businesses that are easily contributing anywhere from 8% to 15% of their employee wages to their healthcare costs. And keep in mind that with comprehensive systems, those payments also cover retirement benefits, sick pay, parental benefits and job loss protection in addition to supporting medical services. When including these expenses compared with what we pay on retirement programs, unemployment insurance and paid time off, the gap narrows.

Execution in the US

In the US, a national health premium would raise our Medicare tax deduction, a framework that is already in place. It should be income-adjusted – wealthier individuals would contribute higher amounts than lower-income earners. This includes both worker and employer contribution. Similar to much of our government's defense, technology, social programs and transportation services, the system should be outsourced to third-party administrators rather than federal agencies.

Benefits for Small Businesses

A national health insurance program would be a significant advantage for small businesses like mine. It would put us on a level playing field with our larger competitors who can afford better plans. It would make management much easier (automatic payroll withholding remitted like retirement and healthcare taxes, rather than individual transactions to benefit firms and insurance providers).

It would enable it easier for us to budget annual expenditures, instead of enduring the complicated (and ineffective) process of bargaining with the big insurance providers required annually each year. Due to simplification, there would exist improved comprehension of coverage by our employees – contrasted with the current system where they have to interpret the complications of existing plans. And there would definitely exist reduced responsibility for employers as we no longer have access to our employees' health histories for purposes of risk assessment and alternative plans.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as pro-market as they get. But I've learned that government play important functions in society, from providing defense to supporting essential systems. Providing healthcare to all through a national insurance system strengthens our economy's infrastructure. It's a better, easier system for small businesses that employ the majority of American employees and fund half of our GDP. It enables for workers to be healthier, have better attendance and increase productivity.

Addressing Concerns

Exist numerous factors I haven't covered? Certainly. Given all the healthcare cost increases experienced recently, it's clear that the Affordable Care Act isn't functioning effectively. And I realize that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where big changes are easier to implement. But expanding universal Medicare, even with increased taxation that would be incurred, would remain a better and more affordable strategy both for controlling healthcare costs but providing access to everyone.

Need for Honest Assessment

We as Americans, must tone down our own arrogance. America's medical care isn't so great. We rank well below many other countries with the best healthcare in the world, according to major studies. Maybe one bright spot in this present circumstances could be that we take a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge that big changes are necessary.