Some farmers take jobs off-site to get health insurance

As in the rest of the nation, the rural United States is facingincreasingly expensive health care options. With an aging population offarmers and ranchers, those in the agriculture sector are watchingpremiums rise and, often, making hard choices about preventativetreatment.  Seekingto bring attention to what farmers and ranchers are facing, a recentsurvey — titled “Health Care in the Heartland: 2007 Health Insuranceand Survey of Missouri Farm and Ranch Operators” — was released by theMissouri Rural Crisis Center, a farmer advocacy group.

“Abig finding is that farm families are being forced to go off-farm totake a job for the health insurance,” says Tim Gibbons, who has beenwith the MRCC for three years. “In some cases, they don’t even need thejob except for the health benefits.”  Whilecurrent conditions are difficult for many farm families, the future isalso a huge concern. Farmers are “really worried about what couldhappen in the next 10 years. Will health care insurance be even moreexpensive? Will the farm be under even more pressure? Will farmers beforced to choose between exorbitant health care coverage and a piece ofneeded equipment or land?”

RichardWilliams, a red Angus rancher from Tipton, Mo., says his situation “isstandard around here for self-insured farmers.” Shown Williams’ claims,several Mid-South insurance agents say his situation is also not anoutlier for the Delta.  “We’vegot darned high deductibles,” says Williams, whose state has104,000-plus farm operations — second only to Texas. “There are manyfarmers whose wives have to go out and get a job just for the insurance— maybe a job with the state, or something.”  Withboth spouses working on the farm, the Williamses spend about 15 percentof their budget on health care. “That’s give-or-take, of course. Beingon a farm, it’s difficult to say exactly what you’ll make.”

Source/more:  Delta Farm Express, http://deltafarmpress.com/news/healthcare-insurance-1024/

Full report:  http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/ra08/090408jwjBriefweb.pdf