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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Non-preferred providers. Premium health services. Personal healthcare costs. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Healthcare consultants. ACA. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. Exclusive Provider Organization. Point of Service. High Deductible Health Plan. Health Savings Account. Flexible Spending Account. HRA. EOB. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Small Business Health Options Program. Individual coverage. Dependent coverage. Premium tax credits.

Confused? It's understandable. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Nor the typical worker. Selecting the appropriate medical coverage for our business – or for households – seems like demands a PhD in healthcare.

Our Medical System Is More Than Complicated, It's Costly

Based on recent research, typical households spends $27,000 annually on medical coverage (up 6% compared to last year). Typical company healthcare expense is projected to exceed $17,000 per employee by 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

Now federal operations has ceased functioning due to partisan disputes over tax credits which analysts predict could cause premium increases up to 100% for numerous US citizens.

When Might We Truly Examine Universal Healthcare?

When will we seriously consider universal healthcare coverage in the United States? I'm convinced we're getting closer because this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not proposing national healthcare. I'm proposing for our current Medicare system – an insurance system – simply expand to cover everyone. The existing system doesn't change. How our healthcare providers get paid would change. Believe me, they will adjust.

The Way National Health Insurance Would Work

A national health insurance program would need contributions from workers and companies. In comparable systems, a worker earning moderate income must contribute approximately 5.3% to their healthcare. The company pays approximately 13.75%.

Does this appear like a lot? Unless you compare it to what the typical American pays. I know dozens of businesses that are easily contributing between eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs to their healthcare costs. Remember that with comprehensive systems, these contributions also cover retirement benefits, sick pay, maternity leave and job loss protection along with supporting medical services. When including those costs versus our current spending on retirement programs, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the gap narrows.

Implementation for America

In the US, a national health premium would raise our Medicare tax deduction, a system that is already in place. It should be income-adjusted – wealthier individuals would pay more than those earning less. There would be both worker and company payments. And, like many our government's defense, technology, social programs and infrastructure, the system should be outsourced by private contractors instead of a government office.

Advantages for Small Businesses

A national health insurance program would be a huge benefit for small businesses like mine. It would put small companies in equal competition against big corporations who can afford superior coverage. It would make management much easier (a payroll deduction processed similarly to retirement and healthcare taxes, instead of separate payments to benefit firms and coverage administrators).

It would enable it easier for us to budget annual expenditures, rather than enduring the complex (and ineffective) theater of negotiating with the big insurance providers required annually every year. Due to simplification, there would be a better understanding about benefits among workers – contrasted with the current system where they have to interpret the complications of existing plans. Additionally there would certainly be less liability for employers since we wouldn't have access to our employees' health histories for purposes of weighing risks and different options.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as pro-market as they get. However I recognize that government has a significant role in society, including national security to supporting essential systems. Providing healthcare to all via universal healthcare enhances economic foundations. It's a better, easier system for entrepreneurs which hire more than half of American employees and generate half the economic output. It makes it possible for workers to enjoy better health, have better attendance and be more productive.

Considering Challenges

Are there 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 very well. And I realize that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms are easier to implement. But expanding Medicare for all, even with increased taxation required, would still be a superior and less expensive approach for not only controlling healthcare costs and ensuring coverage for all citizens.

Time for Realistic Evaluation

We as Americans, we need to tone down our own arrogance. Our healthcare system isn't so great. The US places well below many other countries in healthcare quality globally, based on comprehensive research. Perhaps a positive aspect in this current situation could be that we undertake a hard look at ourselves and acknowledge that big changes need to happen.