Dear Editor:

Yesterday, you reported that health insurance companies are increasing premiums in “Health Insurers Push Premiums Sharply Higher” (NYT, 9/27/11). This is interesting because insurance companies have no compelling reasons for the premium hikes that affect people who don’t have money to afford the higher premiums.

As a student, my perspective is that insurance companies/healthcare industries have become businesses with profit incentives stemming from greed.

What people don’t realize is a healthy population is essential in having a strong economy. The population’s overall health is important to being productive and contributing to the nation’s GDP. Thus, the ability to access and afford healthcare to maintain one’s well-being is in jeopardy with expensive health insurance in a dwindling economy.

One thing that could really make a difference is switching to a single-payer system which would cut back on administrative costs or stabilize costs by having a universal premium all Americans pay to get health coverage that’s not linked to employers and prevent premium hikes.

Sincerely,

Lanny D.