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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Non-preferred providers. Concierge medical services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Healthcare consultants. Affordable Care Act. Health Maintenance Organization. PPO. EPO. Point of Service. HDHP. HSA. Flexible Spending Account. HRA. Explanation of Benefits. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Small Business Health Options Program. Single coverage. Family coverage. Premium tax credits.

Baffled? You should be. Who comprehends this complex system? Certainly not the average business owner. Nor the typical worker. Selecting the appropriate medical coverage for our business – or for our families – appears to require it requires advanced expertise in medical insurance.

Our Medical System Is More Than Complex, It's Expensive

According to a recent study, 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 in 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

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

When Might We Seriously Consider Universal Healthcare?

How soon might we genuinely evaluate universal healthcare coverage in the United States? I have to believe we're approaching that point since this situation is unsustainable.

I'm not proposing national healthcare. I'm proposing that our already existing Medicare system – an insurance system – merely extend to include all citizens. The existing system doesn't change. The way our healthcare providers receive payment would change. Believe me, they will adjust.

How Universal Coverage Would Work

Universal healthcare coverage would need contributions from workers and companies. In comparable systems, a worker earning average wages must contribute about 5.3% toward medical coverage. Their employer must contribute about thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this appear like a lot? Not if you contrast that with what average US resident spends. I know multiple businesses that are routinely paying between eight to fifteen percent of their employee wages to their healthcare costs. Remember that in inclusive programs, these contributions include retirement benefits, illness coverage, parental benefits and unemployment benefits along with funding healthcare facilities. When you add these expenses compared with our current spending for our retirement plans, unemployment insurance and paid time off, the difference decreases.

Implementation in the US

For America, a national health premium would raise existing Medicare taxes, a system that is already in place. It should be income-adjusted – wealthier individuals would pay more than lower-income earners. This includes both an employee and company payments. And, like much of federal military, IT, welfare services and transportation services, the system should be outsourced by private contractors instead of federal agencies.

Advantages for Small Businesses

Universal healthcare coverage would be a huge benefit for small businesses like mine. It would put us on a level playing field against big corporations who can afford superior coverage. It would render management much easier (automatic payroll withholding remitted like social security and healthcare taxes, instead of individual transactions 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 negotiating with the big insurance providers required annually every year. Because it's simplified, there would exist improved comprehension about benefits by our employees – as opposed to the current system where they have to decipher the complexities of existing plans. And there would definitely exist reduced responsibility for companies as we no longer have access to workers' medical records for risk assessment and alternative plans.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as capitalist as possible. However I recognize that government has a significant role in our lives, including national security to funding essential systems. Providing healthcare to all via universal healthcare enhances our economy's infrastructure. It's a better, easier system for entrepreneurs that employ the majority of the country's workers and fund half of our GDP. It enables for workers to enjoy better health, have better attendance and be more productive.

Considering Challenges

Are there a million considerations I haven't covered? Of course there are. But with all the healthcare cost increases experienced in recent years, it's clear that the Affordable Care Act is not working very well. And I realize that America isn't a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms can be readily adopted. However extending universal Medicare, even with the additional taxes required, would remain a superior and less expensive strategy both for managing medical expenses but providing access for all citizens.

Time for Realistic Evaluation

We as Americans, must reduce our own arrogance. Our healthcare system isn't exceptional. The US places significantly behind numerous nations in healthcare quality globally, according to comprehensive research. Perhaps a bright spot in this current situation could be that we undertake serious examination at ourselves and agree that big changes need to happen.