🔗 Share this article As a Dedicated Free-Market Advocate, But Universal Medicare Is the Optimal Hope for US Health System Deductibles. Preferred providers. Non-preferred providers. Concierge medical services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Co-payment. Shared insurance. Insurance consultants. Coverage agents. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. HMO. PPO. Exclusive Provider Organization. Point of Service. High Deductible Health Plan. HSA. FSA. HRA. EOB. COBRA. SHOP. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies. Confused? It's understandable. Who comprehends this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Neither the average employee. Selecting the appropriate healthcare insurance for our business – or for our families – appears to require demands advanced expertise in healthcare. The Healthcare System Isn't Just Complex, It Is Expensive According to a recent study, the average family pays $twenty-seven thousand each year for their health insurance (increasing by 6% compared to last year). The average company healthcare expense is expected to exceed $seventeen thousand for each worker by 2026, a 9.5% jump from 2025. Now federal operations is shut down because partisan disputes regarding subsidies which analysts predict could cause a doubling of premiums for numerous US citizens. When Might We Truly Examine Universal Healthcare? When will we genuinely evaluate universal healthcare coverage in the United States? I'm convinced we're approaching that point since this situation is unsustainable. I'm not suggesting government-run medicine. I'm proposing that our already existing Medicare program – an established insurance framework – merely extend to cover everyone. The existing system remains intact. How our healthcare providers get paid would change. Trust me, they'll adapt. The Way Universal Coverage Would Work A national health insurance program would require contributions from both employees and employers. In similar programs, a worker earning moderate income must contribute approximately five point three percent toward medical coverage. The company pays approximately thirteen point seventy-five percent. Does this appear expensive? Unless you contrast it to what average American pays. I can name multiple businesses who are easily contributing between 8% to 15% of their employee wages to their healthcare costs. Remember that with inclusive programs, these contributions also cover retirement benefits, illness coverage, parental benefits and job loss protection in addition to supporting healthcare facilities. When you add those costs versus our current spending for our retirement plans, job loss coverage and paid time off, the gap narrows. Execution in the US For America, a national health premium would increase existing Medicare taxes, a system already established. It should be means-based – wealthier individuals would contribute higher amounts than those earning less. There would be both worker and employer contribution. And, like much of federal defense, technology, welfare services and infrastructure, the program could be managed by private contractors instead of a government office. Advantages for Small Businesses Universal healthcare coverage represents a significant advantage for entrepreneurs such as my company. It would place small companies in equal competition with our larger competitors that can pay for better plans. It would make management significantly simpler (automatic payroll withholding processed similarly to retirement and Medicare taxes, rather than individual transactions to insurance companies and insurance providers). It would make it easier for us to budget annual expenditures, instead of going through the complicated (and fruitless) theater of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do each year. Because it's simplified, there would exist a better understanding about benefits among workers – contrasted with existing arrangements where they have to decipher the complications of existing plans. Additionally there would definitely exist less liability for companies as we no longer would be privy to workers' health histories for purposes of weighing risks and different options. Capitalist Perspective I'm as capitalist as possible. But I've learned that public institutions play important functions in society, including national security to funding essential systems. Providing healthcare to all via universal healthcare strengthens our economy's infrastructure. It represents superior, easier system for entrepreneurs that employ more than half of American employees and fund half of our GDP. It makes it possible employees to be healthier, come to work more often and be more productive. Addressing Concerns 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 current healthcare legislation is not working very well. And I realize that we're not a compact European nation where big changes can be readily adopted. However extending universal Medicare, despite the additional taxes that would be incurred, would remain a better and less expensive approach for not only controlling healthcare costs and ensuring coverage for all citizens. Need for Honest Assessment As Americans, must tone down our own arrogance. Our healthcare system isn't so great. We rank significantly behind numerous nations in healthcare quality globally, according to major studies. Perhaps a bright spot in this present circumstances is that we undertake a hard look at ourselves and acknowledge that major reforms are necessary.