LETTER: Everyone is entitled to affordable, quality health care

A majority of working Americans get health insurance through their employers. This approach worked when the economy was strong and businesses were profitable. The arrangements were simple – the cost of insurance was shared by the employer and the employee. However, over the past 20 years or so, the cost of insurance has increased, and both sides are being squeezed. Between 2000 and 2007, health insurance premiums increased by 76 percent. Employers must make the decision to pass those costs on to their bottom lines, ask their employees to pay a greater share, or drop coverage altogether. The choice was easier when the economy was doing well.