Why Is Health Insurance Such a Mess?

Introduction

Let’s just say it plainly: Health insurance in America is a mess. A tangled, confusing, bureaucratic maze that frustrates the sick, exhausts the caregivers, and confuses even the most seasoned professionals.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Health insurance was meant to be a safety net—a lifeline in moments of medical need. Instead, it’s become a gatekeeper, a billing engine, and often, a barrier to care itself.

1. Health Insurance Wasn’t Built for the Consumer

Health insurance in America evolved around employers, not individuals. That means it was never designed to be navigated—it was designed to be administered. The consumer was an afterthought.

Most people don’t pick their plan because they understand it. They pick it because someone told them to—or because it was the “default.” And even then, they don’t realize what’s covered or not until they’re standing in a hospital hallway with a bill they can’t understand.

2. The Incentives Are Misaligned

Let’s be real: in this system, the people paying for care (consumers) are not the ones deciding what’s covered (carriers), and the people delivering the care (providers) are stuck in the middle, fighting for reimbursement.

Every part of the system is siloed:

• Insurers are incentivized to reduce costs—even when that means denying coverage.

• Hospitals are incentivized to bill higher, because they negotiate down.

• Consumers are left trying to read the fine print in the middle of a medical crisis.

  
  

3. The Language Is Intentionally Complicated

Let’s be honest: the complexity isn’t accidental. When you can't explain your benefits in plain English, or when it takes 20 pages to explain how a deductible works, the system isn't protecting you—it's protecting itself.

Consumers don’t know the difference between a PPO and an HMO. They don’t know what a formulary is. And they shouldn’t have to.

We’ve created a system that forces sick people to become experts in bureaucracy just to access basic care.

4. Seniors and Vulnerable Populations Are Targets, Not Priorities

No group suffers more under this mess than our most vulnerable—especially seniors.

Every year, seniors are bombarded with marketing, promises, and plan changes during open enrollment. But no one is standing beside them saying, “Let’s make sure this actually serves your needs.”

Instead, they get phone calls from people selling plans with incomplete information, while critical services get carved out behind the scenes.

This isn’t just inefficient. It’s unethical.

So What Can We Do?

At Scroll.care, we believe the answer lies in rethinking the entire ecosystem—starting with how people access care in the first place. We are creating a centralized care marketplace that is:

• Transparent in who provides care and what it costs

• Human-centered in how it supports families, seniors, and care seekers

• Broker-integrated, so trusted professionals have better tools and support

• Technology-backed, but never at the expense of the human connection

  
  

We aren’t here to blame. We’re here to build what’s next.

The Bottom Line

Health insurance is a mess because it was never truly built for the people who use it. But that’s changing. One connection, one provider, one care seeker at a time—we’re rebuilding trust, one scroll at a time.