Deductibles. In-network. Non-preferred providers. Concierge medical services. Personal healthcare costs. Fixed payment. Co-insurance. Benefit advisers. Insurance brokers. Medical advisors. ACA. Health Maintenance Organization. PPO. EPO. POS. HDHP. HSA. FSA. HRA. Explanation of Benefits. COBRA. SHOP. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Premium tax credits.
Baffled? It's understandable. Who understands all this stuff? Certainly not the average business owner. Neither the average worker. Choosing the right medical coverage for companies – or for our families – seems like it requires advanced expertise in healthcare.
Based on a recent study, typical households spends $twenty-seven thousand each year for their health insurance (up 6% compared to last year). Typical employer health insurance cost is expected to exceed $17,000 per employee in 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025.
Now the government is shut down because partisan disputes regarding subsidies that experts say will lead to premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans.
When will we genuinely evaluate a national health insurance program in the United States? I'm convinced we're getting closer since this can't continue.
I'm not suggesting national healthcare. I'm proposing that our already existing Medicare program – an established insurance framework – merely extend to include all citizens. The existing system remains intact. The way medical professionals receive payment changes. Believe me, they will adjust.
Universal healthcare coverage would need payments from both workers and companies. In comparable systems, a worker making average wages pays approximately five point three percent to their healthcare. Their employer pays approximately thirteen point seventy-five percent.
Does this appear expensive? Not if you contrast it to what average American pays. I can name multiple clients that are routinely paying between 8% to 15% of payroll costs to their healthcare costs. Remember that in inclusive programs, those payments also cover retirement benefits, sick pay, maternity leave and job loss protection along with funding healthcare facilities. When including those costs versus our current spending for our retirement plans, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the difference decreases.
In the US, a national health premium would raise our Medicare tax deduction, a system that is already in place. It ought to be means-based – wealthier individuals would contribute higher amounts than those earning less. There would be both an employee and employer contribution. And, like much of our government's defense, technology, social programs and transportation services, the system could be managed by private contractors rather than a government office.
Universal healthcare coverage would be a huge benefit for entrepreneurs like mine. It would place small companies in equal competition with our larger competitors who can afford superior coverage. It would render management significantly simpler (automatic payroll withholding remitted like social security and healthcare taxes, rather than separate payments to insurance companies and insurance providers).
It would enable simpler to plan expenses annual expenditures, instead of enduring the complex (and ineffective) theater of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do every year. Because it's simplified, there would be a better understanding of coverage by our employees – contrasted with existing arrangements where they have to decipher the complications of current options. And there would definitely exist less liability for employers since we wouldn't have access to our employees' medical records for purposes of risk assessment and different options.
I'm as capitalist as possible. But I've learned that public institutions play important functions in society, including national security to supporting needed infrastructure. Providing healthcare to all through a national insurance system strengthens economic foundations. It's a better, easier system for entrepreneurs which hire the majority of American employees and generate half of our GDP. It makes it possible employees to enjoy better health, have better attendance and be more productive.
Exist a million considerations I haven't covered? Of course there are. But with all the healthcare cost increases experienced recently, it's evident that current healthcare legislation isn't functioning very well. And I realize that America isn't a small, Scandinavian country where big changes are easier to implement. However extending Medicare for all, despite increased taxation that would be incurred, would remain a superior and less expensive approach both for managing medical expenses and ensuring coverage to everyone.
We as Americans, must tone down national pride. America's medical care isn't so great. We rank well below many other countries with the best healthcare in the world, according to comprehensive research. Perhaps a positive aspect amid present circumstances could be that we take serious examination at ourselves and agree that big changes are necessary.
Elara is a passionate writer and photographer who shares insights on creativity and mindful living through engaging storytelling.
