To the Editor:

I thought that I knew the narrative of my middle-class life, and so was surprised to recognize myself in Alissa Quart’s article “The Power of the Middle-Class Shame Vote” (Sunday Review, Jan. 6).

In my 30s, I had excellent health insurance through my union. When I changed professions and became self-employed, I had to buy a family policy from the open market. I’ve felt ashamed for not knowing that premiums would eat a quarter, then a third, of my gross income.

Company-paid insurance was once standard in collective bargaining agreements, with many nonunion companies forced to follow suit. With the shrinking of unions, the middle class lost paid health coverage, eventually plunging many people into medical debt.

We also lost a powerful political force that educated millions of working people to vote for candidates who would represent their interests. Otherwise, Donald Trump could not have been elected.

Nancy Stiefel
Sunnyside, Queens

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