As employers attempt to contain health insurance costs, workers and families struggle too

One of the largest and most important parts of our health care system is the role employers play in providing health insurance coverage for workers, retirees, and family members. U.S. employers cover 55.1% of Americans who have health insurance, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

By providing health insurance for more than half of all Americans, employers pay for the biggest share of health coverage in the United States. (We should note that, on average, families paid just more than a third of what employers cover, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation). Medicare, Medicaid…