🔗 Share this article As a Hardcore Free-Market Advocate, But Universal Medicare Represents the Optimal Hope for US Healthcare Out-of-pocket costs. In-network. Out-of-network. Concierge medical services. Out-of-pocket expenses. Fixed payment. Co-insurance. Benefit advisers. Coverage agents. Medical advisors. Affordable Care Act. Health Maintenance Organization. PPO. EPO. Point of Service. HDHP. Health Savings Account. FSA. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. EOB. COBRA. Small Business Health Options Program. Individual coverage. Dependent coverage. Premium tax credits. Confused? You should be. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average entrepreneur. Neither the average employee. Selecting the appropriate medical coverage for companies – or for our families – appears to require demands a PhD in medical insurance. The Healthcare System Is More Than Complicated, It Is Costly According to a recent study, the average family spends $twenty-seven thousand each year on medical coverage (increasing by 6% from last year). Typical employer health insurance cost is expected to exceed $17,000 for each worker by 2026, an increase of 9.5% from 2025. Currently the government has ceased functioning due to partisan disputes regarding subsidies which analysts predict could cause premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans. When Might We Seriously Consider National Health Insurance? When will we genuinely evaluate universal healthcare coverage in the United States? I have to believe we're getting closer because this can't continue. I'm not proposing government-run medicine. I'm advocating that our already existing Medicare program – an insurance system – simply expand to cover everyone. The existing system remains intact. How medical professionals receive payment would change. Trust me, they will adjust. The Way Universal Coverage Could Function Universal healthcare coverage would need contributions from employees and employers. In comparable systems, an employee making moderate income pays about 5.3% to their healthcare. Their employer must contribute about thirteen point seventy-five percent. Does this appear like a lot? Not if you compare that with what the typical American pays. I know multiple businesses who are routinely paying between 8% to 15% of their employee wages for medical benefits. Remember that with inclusive programs, those payments also cover pension plans, sick pay, parental benefits and unemployment benefits in addition to supporting healthcare facilities. When you add these expenses versus our current spending for our retirement plans, unemployment insurance and paid time off, the gap narrows. Implementation in the US In the US, universal healthcare funding would increase existing Medicare taxes, a system already established. It ought to be income-adjusted – wealthier individuals would pay more than those earning less. There would be both an employee and employer contribution. Similar to many our government's defense, IT, welfare services and transportation services, the program should be outsourced by private contractors rather than federal agencies. Advantages for Entrepreneurs A national health insurance program represents a huge benefit for entrepreneurs like mine. It would place small companies in equal competition with our larger competitors who can afford better plans. It would render management significantly simpler (automatic payroll withholding remitted like retirement and Medicare taxes, instead of individual transactions to benefit firms and coverage administrators). It would enable it easier to plan expenses our yearly costs, rather than going through the complicated (and fruitless) theater of bargaining with the big insurance providers required annually each year. Due to simplification, there would exist a better understanding about benefits by our employees – as opposed to the current system where they have to decipher the complications of existing plans. And there would certainly be reduced responsibility for companies as we no longer have access to workers' medical records for weighing risks and different options. Free-Market Viewpoint I'm as capitalist as they get. However I recognize that public institutions play important functions in society, including national security to supporting needed infrastructure. Ensuring medical coverage to all via universal healthcare strengthens our economy's infrastructure. It represents superior, easier system for small businesses which hire more than half of American employees and generate half of our GDP. It enables employees to enjoy better health, have better attendance and be more productive. Addressing Concerns Exist numerous factors I haven't covered? Of course there are. Given all the healthcare cost increases we've seen recently, it's evident that the Affordable Care Act is not working very well. I understand that we're not a small, Scandinavian country where major reforms are easier to implement. However extending universal Medicare, despite the additional taxes required, would remain a superior and less expensive strategy for not only controlling healthcare costs but providing access to everyone. Need for Realistic Evaluation We as Americans, we need to reduce national pride. Our healthcare system isn't exceptional. We rank well below many other countries in healthcare quality in the world, according to comprehensive research. Maybe one positive aspect in this present circumstances could be that we take serious examination at ourselves and acknowledge that big changes need to happen.