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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Out-of-network. Concierge medical services. Personal healthcare costs. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Benefit advisers. Coverage agents. Healthcare consultants. ACA. HMO. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. POS. HDHP. Health Savings Account. FSA. HRA. EOB. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. SHOP. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Confused? It's understandable. Who understands all this stuff? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Nor the typical worker. Choosing the appropriate healthcare insurance for companies – or for households – seems like demands advanced expertise in medical insurance.

Our Healthcare System Is More Than Complex, It Is Expensive

According to a recent study, typical households pays $27,000 each year for their health insurance (increasing by 6% compared to last year). Typical company healthcare expense is projected to surpass $17,000 for each worker in 2026, an increase of 9.5% compared to 2025.

Currently the government is shut down because political disagreements over subsidies that experts say could cause premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans.

When Might We Seriously Consider National Health Insurance?

When will we genuinely evaluate a national health insurance program here in America? I'm convinced we're approaching that point because this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not proposing government-run medicine. I'm proposing that our already existing Medicare program – an insurance system – merely extend to cover everyone. The existing system remains intact. How our healthcare providers get paid would change. Believe me, they'll adapt.

The Way Universal Coverage Could Function

Universal healthcare coverage would need payments from both workers and companies. In comparable systems, an employee making moderate income must contribute approximately 5.3% toward medical coverage. Their employer pays approximately 13.75%.

Does this seem like a lot? Unless you contrast it to what average US resident spends. I can name dozens of clients that are routinely paying anywhere from eight to fifteen percent of their employee wages for medical benefits. Remember that with inclusive programs, these contributions also cover retirement benefits, illness coverage, parental benefits and unemployment benefits along with funding medical services. When including these expenses versus our current spending on retirement programs, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the gap narrows.

Execution in the US

In the US, universal healthcare funding 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. There would be both worker and employer contribution. And, like much of our government's defense, technology, social programs and transportation services, the program could be managed by private contractors rather than a government office.

Advantages for Entrepreneurs

A national health insurance program represents a significant advantage for entrepreneurs like mine. It would place us on a level playing field against big corporations that can pay for better plans. It would render management much easier (a payroll deduction remitted like social security and healthcare taxes, rather than separate payments to insurance companies and insurance providers).

It would make simpler for us to budget annual expenditures, instead of going through the complicated (and ineffective) process of negotiating with the big insurance providers that we must do each year. Because it's simplified, there would exist improved comprehension of coverage by our employees – contrasted with existing arrangements where they have to interpret the complications of current options. And there would certainly be less liability for companies as we no longer would be privy to our employees' health histories for risk assessment and different options.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as pro-market as they get. But I've learned that government play important functions in our lives, 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 entrepreneurs that employ more than half of American employees and generate half of our GDP. It makes it possible for workers to enjoy better health, have better attendance and be more productive.

Addressing Concerns

Are there a million considerations I'm not addressing? Of course there are. Given all the healthcare cost increases we've seen recently, it's clear that current healthcare legislation isn't functioning very well. And I realize that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms are easier to implement. However extending universal Medicare, despite increased taxation that would be incurred, would still be a better and less expensive strategy for not only managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage to everyone.

Need for Honest Assessment

As Americans, we need to reduce national pride. America's medical care isn't so great. The US places well below many other countries with the best healthcare globally, according to major studies. Perhaps a bright spot amid present circumstances could be that we take a hard look at ourselves and agree that big changes are necessary.