Agreed this needs done asap. Benefits hold unsatisfied workers captive, get rid of this bandaid -- and maybe we can afford Medicare for all.

One other option -- make Hospitals be both insurer/provider. They get recurring monthly income, they'd pay 'other' providers when you're travelling out of network, but they'd be more able to bring down costs, the government should set limits though on surgeries and their needs to be more transparency in pricing.

You'd subscribe to your local hospital and pay a % of your income to the hospital they'd take everyone regardless of income level.

If this is all that's done and companies stop paying for insurance, I would expect employers to use the opportunity to pocket most of the savings and only pass on a pittance to their employees.

Also, uninformed consumers will opt for cheap plans without checking for (or realizing their personal susceptibility to) major pitfalls that the ACA used to protect against before the Republicans pulled it apart.