Healthcare can be hard to understand. It can feel like a maze with no clear way out. Nathan J. Wagner is a strategic advisor, benefits broker, and caregiver who knows both sides of healthcare — needing care and paying for it. He helps employers, families, and health tech companies find better, simpler ways to access and navigate care.
Nathan believes that better healthcare starts with better information, stronger advocacy, and solutions built around the people who need them most.
Keep reading to learn what he has to say.
Feeling overwhelmed by healthcare? We are not alone.
Caregivers are the fastest-growing consumer segment in healthcare. There are an estimated 63MM Americans providing unpaid care to a parent, spouse, child, or loved one–– and this number is up 18% from last year [2025].
Becoming a caregiver can happen overnight or gradually as you take on tasks. Either way, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed because the growth rate of caregivers and the various challenges they face are outpacing solutions to the significant gaps in policies, legislation, benefits, and consumer awareness to address them.
This lack of knowledge is evident in the numbers, which suggest that only 12% of Americans are considered healthcare literate. The opposite of that number means 88% of us struggle to navigate healthcare systems (insurance, provider networks, regulations, etc.) or to make informed decisions as consumers.
It’s not our fault. Healthcare seems to operate in ambiguity and within a framework that doesn’t adhere to market norms, with pricing transparency, comprehensive yet unclear policies, and care equality.
When most Americans can barely understand or afford care for ourselves, how can we also take on the awesome responsibility of helping a loved one without feeling overwhelmed?
This feeling is normal, but remember… we’re not alone. Together, we can effect change.
Clarity.
Whether it’s a crisis situation or the long-term effects of a chronic condition, consumer confidence in benefit decisions comes when we have a clear understanding of our health, what insurance coverage we currently have, what’s covered, and identify the gaps.
Employer benefit options can include everything from compliant medical coverage (health insurance) to voluntary income protection (personal injury and disability) and asset and risk protection (life insurance).
Applying the role of a caregiver, we need to ask the right questions about employee benefits during the hiring process and annual open enrollment. We also need to ask our employers for the benefits we value, such as flexible scheduling and expanded coverage options.
Healthcare is an old system that has not kept up with the times. Most people do not trust hospitals, HMOs, and insurance companies the way they used to. And because healthcare has so many rules, most new ideas have to work within the system — but they can still be shaped from the outside by looking at each problem as a chance to do better.
The key steps in any care journey still include intake, networks, referrals, medical records, transitions, outcomes, and continuity of care. Making even one of these steps better can make the whole journey easier. When two or more of these steps work well together, it can change the whole experience.
Technology and wearable devices can also help by letting caregivers check on a loved one from far away. Having access to medical records means caregivers have the full health story ready when they need it. This helps them answer important questions during a health crisis or step away for a break without losing touch with what is going on.
But the caregiver population is now large enough to drive innovation. Solutions will be developed for this ‘customer’ to solve our pain points. And somewhere in this
The shift will be the importance of becoming your loved one’s medical power of attorney, as this will be critical for care navigation and for any emerging technologies.
Providers and the regulations that govern the delivery of care need to make better allowances and recognize the role of the caregiver. If we have some co-ownership of the process, it will be better for everyone. Specifically, we need to shift the way we ask for help with the following:
Three words… awareness, patience, and diligence.
The system is not going to change overnight. As caregivers, we need to change how we approach the system.
Doing our research is never-ending and multi-faceted. We must know everything we can about the condition/diagnosis/treatment(s) and proactively explore all covered care options. Awareness does more than help us understand ‘the why’ and how everything works; it helps avoid unnecessary surprises.
Care navigators or coordinators are, quite literally, the best friends we can have on the inside. Be patient with them, because kindness can go a long way toward navigating the runaround and getting what we need.
And as we’re all doing our best to advocate for a loved one, we also need to know that we won’t solve many problems with just one phone call. Go to the websites. Send an email and call the number, because email alone is the first thing to get buried in the day-to-day. Just don’t give up. Keep calling and keep asking questions until you’re satisfied with the answers.
As Nathan shared, the healthcare system is hard to navigate. But caregivers do not have to face it alone. The most important things to remember:
The system may be slow to change. But caregivers who stay informed, ask for help, and keep pushing can make a real difference for the people they love.
Nathan J. Wagner, Strategic Advisor | Benefits Broker | Caregiver | Author | Purpose-Driven Innovator
Nathan J. Wagner is a strategic advisor and benefits broker who helps employers, families, and health tech companies find better ways to access and navigate care. As a caregiver himself, he understands what it feels like to need care and struggle to afford it. Nathan works to make healthcare simpler, fairer, and more focused on the people who need it most. He is also an award-winning author who helps thought leaders share their stories.
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