For some reason, YouTube has recently decided that I really like 60-second skits about banks and insurance companies. I’m not sure what I managed to watch or say that persuaded the algorithm that finance is a passion of mine, but here we are.

Among the gurus informing me that using ChatGPT to write a cover letter is the way to go (never mind that I’m not in the market for a job) and urging me to max out my 401k every year is Chris Kohler. He’s not a “business bestie.” He’s an Australian finance nerd with a wry sense of humor who may just convince you that the whole financial edifice we rely on needs to be burned to the ground and rebuilt from scratch. (READ MORE: ‘Antiracism’ is Coming for Medical Science)

He’s roasted higher education and banks for coming up with the student loan system, major news corporations for lying about the economic situation most of the middle class finds itself in right now, and the incentives causing the housing crisis. But what he hasn’t talked a lot about (probably because he’s from Australia, where universal healthcare is the norm) is the mess of a healthcare industry we Americans have to deal with.

Just this morning, the Wall Street Journal reported that inflation is still very much a real thing when it comes to health insurance. The average family premium costs an absurd $25,500 per year — that figure is $3,000 more than it was just two years ago, and it’s only expected to go up in 2025.

For now, businesses are swallowing those costs, which may seem fine (unless you run a small business), but it won’t be when wages don’t go up as much as inflation has.

The whole thing is a bit discouraging to dig into. Hospitals and doctors can charge exorbitant amounts ($450 for a 30-minute visit to a specialist or several thousand for an MRI), and most customers don’t care because it’s covered by insurance. You might think that insurance companies would then advocate for lower prices, and they do, but they also charge higher premiums. (READ MORE: Health Care: Trump vs. Harris)

It’s a whole complicated mess of a system and, while we’re grateful for advanced medications and specialties that allow us to recover and thrive after a bout with cancer or a debilitating car accident, it’s tempting to wonder if there couldn’t be a better way to handle this whole thing.

It’s not that universal healthcare is the answer (you just end up paying for it in taxes anyway), but rather that charging businesses (and small-business owners or self-employed Americans) $25,500 a year for an insurance policy that a family may or may not use just feeds the medical beast and drives costs up.

At this point, it should be clear to election campaign teams that Americans are concerned about the rising costs of anything — especially anything they need to live happy and healthy lives (groceries, gas, housing, etc.). That would be why the Harris campaign, according to the Hill, has decided that it’s time to lean into health care.

On Monday, the vice president promised on X that “Tim Walz and I will strengthen the Affordable Care Act, continue to take on Big Pharma, and cap the cost of prescription medication for all Americans. Because we believe that health care should be a right—not just a privilege for those who can afford it.” (READ MORE: Transgender Politics Shouldn’t Trump Science)

Does that sound like a catchphrase for a campaign for universal healthcare? Yes. Because Kamala Harris is proposing to expand the Affordable Care Act. Now is probably a good time to remind Americans that Obamacare “increased the cost of health care and health insurance,” “increases Americans’ reliance on the federal government,” and is far more expensive per person than anticipated (a cost that taxpayers have to pay).

So, let’s just get more of that, I guess?

A solution to the rapidly spiraling problem of healthcare costs driving health insurance premiums does not make itself readily apparent. The part of me that is young and dumb thinks burning the whole thing down isn’t a bad way to go. Unfortunately, Edmund Burke was right: taking a blowtorch to institutions and systems is rarely the best policy.

There are doctors out there, fortunately, who are at least trying to take primary health care out of the hands of insurance companies and massive hospital systems — kudos to them. They probably are the solution.