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Deductibles. Preferred providers. Non-preferred providers. Premium health services. Personal healthcare costs. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Insurance consultants. Insurance brokers. Healthcare consultants. ACA. HMO. PPO. EPO. POS. High Deductible Health Plan. HSA. Flexible Spending Account. HRA. Explanation of Benefits. COBRA. Small Business Health Options Program. Single coverage. Family coverage. Premium tax credits.

Baffled? You should be. Who understands all this stuff? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Neither the average worker. Choosing the right healthcare insurance for our business – or for households – appears to require demands advanced expertise in medical insurance.

Our Medical System Isn't Just Complex, It's Expensive

According to recent research, the average family pays $twenty-seven thousand annually on medical coverage (up 6% compared to last year). The average company healthcare expense is expected to surpass $seventeen thousand per employee in 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.

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

When Will We Seriously Consider National Health Insurance?

When will we genuinely evaluate a national health insurance program in the United States? I'm convinced we're getting closer because this can't continue.

I'm not suggesting national healthcare. I'm proposing for our current Medicare system – an insurance system – merely extend to cover everyone. The existing system doesn't change. The way medical professionals get paid changes. Trust me, they will adjust.

How National Health Insurance Would Work

Universal healthcare coverage would require payments from both employees and employers. In similar programs, a worker making moderate income must contribute approximately five point three percent toward medical coverage. Their employer must contribute approximately 13.75%.

Does this seem expensive? Unless you contrast that with what average US resident spends. I know dozens of clients that are routinely paying anywhere from 8% to 15% of their employee wages to their healthcare costs. Remember that in inclusive programs, those payments also cover retirement benefits, illness coverage, maternity leave and job loss protection along with supporting healthcare facilities. When you add these expenses versus our current spending on retirement programs, job loss coverage and paid time off, the gap narrows.

Execution for America

For America, a national health premium would increase existing Medicare taxes, a framework already established. It should be means-based – wealthier individuals would pay more than lower-income earners. There would be both an employee and company payments. Similar to much of our government's defense, technology, social programs and infrastructure, the system should be outsourced by private contractors instead of a government office.

Benefits for Small Businesses

A national health insurance program represents a significant advantage for small businesses like mine. It would put us on a level playing field with our larger competitors that can pay for better plans. It would make management much easier (a payroll deduction processed similarly to social security and healthcare taxes, instead of individual transactions to insurance companies and coverage administrators).

It would enable simpler for us to budget annual expenditures, rather than going through the complicated (and fruitless) theater of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do each year. Due to simplification, there would exist a better understanding of coverage by our employees – contrasted with existing arrangements where they have to interpret the complications of existing plans. And there would certainly be reduced responsibility for companies since we wouldn't would be privy to workers' health histories for weighing risks and alternative plans.

Free-Market Viewpoint

I'm as pro-market as they get. But I've learned that public institutions play important functions in society, including national security to funding essential systems. Providing healthcare to all through a national insurance system enhances our economy's infrastructure. It's a better, simpler approach for entrepreneurs which hire more than half of American employees and fund half of our GDP. It enables for workers to be healthier, come to work more often and increase productivity.

Considering Challenges

Are there a million considerations I'm not addressing? Certainly. But with all the healthcare cost increases we've seen recently, it's evident that current healthcare legislation is not working very well. And I realize that America isn't a compact European nation where major reforms are easier to implement. However extending Medicare for all, despite increased taxation that would be incurred, would remain a better and more affordable approach for not only controlling healthcare costs and ensuring coverage to everyone.

Time for Realistic Evaluation

As Americans, we need to reduce national pride. Our healthcare system isn't exceptional. We rank significantly behind many other countries in healthcare quality globally, based on major studies. Perhaps a positive aspect in this current situation is that we take a hard look at ourselves and agree that major reforms need to happen.