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Out-of-pocket costs. In-network. Out-of-network. Premium health services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. Point of Service. HDHP. Health Savings Account. FSA. HRA. EOB. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Small Business Health Options Program. Individual coverage. Dependent coverage. Premium tax credits.

Confused? You should be. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average business owner. Neither the average employee. Selecting the right medical coverage for companies – or for our families – appears to require demands a PhD in medical insurance.

The Medical System Is More Than Complicated, It Is Costly

According to recent research, typical households spends $27,000 annually on medical coverage (up 6% from last year). Typical employer health insurance cost is expected to surpass $17,000 per employee in 2026, a 9.5% jump compared to 2025.

Now the government is shut down because partisan disputes over subsidies that experts say could cause a doubling of premiums for numerous US citizens.

When Might We Truly Examine National Health Insurance?

How soon might we seriously consider a national health insurance program in the United States? I have to believe we're getting closer because this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not suggesting national healthcare. I'm proposing for our current Medicare program – an insurance system – merely extend to include all citizens. The existing system remains intact. How our healthcare providers get paid changes. Trust me, they'll adapt.

How National Health Insurance Would Work

Universal healthcare coverage would require payments from both employees and employers. In comparable systems, a worker earning moderate income pays approximately five point three percent to their healthcare. Their employer must contribute about thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this appear like a lot? Not if you contrast it to what average US resident spends. I know multiple businesses that are easily contributing between 8% to 15% of payroll costs for medical benefits. Remember that with inclusive programs, these contributions also cover pension plans, illness coverage, maternity leave and unemployment benefits in addition to supporting medical services. When you add those costs compared with what we pay on retirement programs, unemployment insurance and paid time off, the gap narrows.

Execution in the US

In the US, universal healthcare funding would raise existing Medicare taxes, a framework that is already in place. It ought to be means-based – wealthier individuals would pay more than lower-income earners. This includes both worker and employer contribution. Similar to many our government's defense, technology, welfare services and transportation services, the system could be managed to third-party administrators instead of a government office.

Benefits for Small Businesses

A national health insurance program represents a significant advantage for small businesses such as my company. It would put small companies in equal competition with our larger competitors that can pay for superior coverage. It would render management significantly simpler (automatic payroll withholding processed similarly to retirement and Medicare taxes, rather than individual transactions to benefit firms and insurance providers).

It would enable simpler to plan expenses annual expenditures, instead of enduring the complex (and ineffective) theater of negotiating with the big insurance providers that we must do every year. Due to simplification, there would be a better understanding of coverage among workers – as opposed to existing arrangements which require them to decipher the complications of existing plans. And there would certainly be less liability for employers as we no longer would be privy to our employees' medical records for purposes of weighing risks and different options.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as capitalist as they get. But I've learned that government play important functions in our lives, including national security to funding essential systems. Ensuring medical coverage to all via universal healthcare strengthens our economy's infrastructure. It's a better, easier system for small businesses which hire the majority of the country's workers and generate half the economic output. It makes it possible for workers to enjoy better health, come to work more often and increase productivity.

Considering Challenges

Exist a million considerations I'm not addressing? Certainly. Given all the healthcare cost increases experienced recently, it's evident that the Affordable Care Act is not working effectively. I understand that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms can be readily adopted. But expanding Medicare for all, even with the additional taxes required, would remain a superior and more affordable strategy for not only controlling healthcare costs and ensuring coverage to everyone.

Need for Realistic Evaluation

We 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 in this current situation could be that we take serious examination in the mirror and acknowledge that major reforms need to happen.