I'm a Dedicated Capitalist, Yet Medicare for All Is the Best Hope for American Health System

Out-of-pocket costs. 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. Health Maintenance Organization. Preferred Provider Organization. EPO. POS. High Deductible Health Plan. Health Savings Account. Flexible Spending Account. Health Reimbursement Arrangement. Explanation of Benefits. COBRA. Small Business Health Options Program. Single coverage. Dependent coverage. Insurance subsidies.

Baffled? It's understandable. Who understands this complex system? Certainly not the average business owner. Neither the average employee. Selecting the right healthcare insurance for companies – or for households – seems like demands a PhD in medical insurance.

Our Medical System Is More Than Complex, It Is Costly

According to a recent study, typical households spends $twenty-seven thousand each year for their health insurance (increasing by 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.

Currently federal operations is shut down due to partisan disputes over subsidies that experts say could cause premium increases up to 100% for millions of Americans.

When Will We Truly Examine Universal Healthcare?

When will we seriously consider a national health insurance program here in America? I have to believe we're approaching that point since this can't continue.

I'm not suggesting national healthcare. I'm proposing for our current Medicare program – an established insurance framework – simply expand to cover everyone. The existing system doesn't change. How medical professionals receive payment would change. Trust me, they will adjust.

The Way National Health Insurance Could Function

Universal healthcare coverage would need contributions from workers and companies. In similar programs, a worker making average wages pays approximately five point three percent toward medical coverage. Their employer must contribute about thirteen point seventy-five percent.

Does this seem like a lot? Not if you compare it to what average American pays. I know multiple businesses who are easily contributing anywhere from eight to fifteen percent of payroll costs for medical benefits. And keep in mind that in comprehensive systems, these contributions include pension plans, sick pay, parental benefits and unemployment benefits in addition to funding healthcare facilities. When you add those costs compared with what we pay on retirement programs, job loss coverage and vacation benefits, the difference decreases.

Execution in the US

For America, universal healthcare funding would raise existing Medicare taxes, a system already established. It ought to be means-based – wealthier individuals would pay more than those earning less. This includes both an employee and employer contribution. And, like much of our government's military, technology, social programs and transportation services, the program should be outsourced by private contractors rather than federal agencies.

Advantages for Small Businesses

Universal healthcare coverage represents a significant advantage for entrepreneurs like mine. It would place us on a level playing field against big corporations who can afford superior coverage. It would render management significantly simpler (automatic payroll withholding remitted like retirement and healthcare taxes, rather than individual transactions to benefit firms and insurance providers).

It would enable simpler for us to budget our yearly costs, instead of enduring the complex (and ineffective) process of bargaining with the big insurance providers that we must do each year. Due to simplification, there would be improved comprehension of coverage by our employees – contrasted with the current system where they have to interpret the complications of existing plans. And there would definitely exist reduced responsibility for companies as we no longer would be privy to workers' health histories for purposes of weighing risks and alternative plans.

Capitalist Perspective

I'm as pro-market as they get. But I've learned that public institutions play important functions in our lives, from providing defense to funding essential systems. Providing healthcare for everyone via universal healthcare enhances our economy's infrastructure. It's a better, simpler approach for entrepreneurs which hire more than half of the country's workers and generate half the economic output. It makes it possible for workers to be healthier, come to work more often and be more productive.

Addressing Concerns

Are there numerous factors I haven't covered? Certainly. But with rising medical expenses experienced in recent years, it's clear that current healthcare legislation is not working very well. And I realize that America isn't a compact European nation where major reforms can be readily adopted. But expanding universal Medicare, despite the additional taxes that would be incurred, would remain a superior and more affordable strategy for not only controlling healthcare costs but providing access for all citizens.

Time for Realistic Evaluation

We as Americans, we need to reduce our own arrogance. America's medical care isn't exceptional. We rank well below many other countries with the best healthcare in the world, based on major studies. Perhaps a bright spot amid present circumstances could be that we undertake serious examination in the mirror and acknowledge that major reforms need to happen.