The hurdles of health insurance

There are a number of benefits to having a full-time job, one of the most valuable being health insurance coverage. While it might not be the most exciting membership card to carry in your wallet, health insurance can be invaluable for taking care of yourself and avoiding catastrophic expenses in the face of a medical emergency.

If, like most dairy farmers, you are self-employed, you unfortunately have no way of taking out company health insurance. These individuals need to navigate murky waters to keep themselves, their families, and possibly their employees safe.

Health insurance coverage is beneficial for everyone, but people with pre-existing health problems or people who work in hazardous professions are particularly at risk if they are uninsured. Farmers all too often fall into these two categories.

“We know farming is one of the most dangerous jobs,” said Florence Becot, a research fellow at the National Farm Medicine Center. “We also know that due to the physical nature of work, there is wear and tear on the body over time.”

During the AgrAbility of Wisconsin Virtual Summit, Becot spoke about the challenges farmers face in finding health insurance. She shared the results of a 2017 study that found that 60% of farming families had at least one member with a pre-existing medical condition, and 33% of farming families had at least one family member with a health condition that made farming difficult. She said there was no difference between age groups.

“We know that health challenges have far-reaching implications for the quality of life of farmers and their families, their ability to work and the farm,” she said.

While getting health insurance can be difficult, Becot said that farming families make it a priority and that nine out of ten farming families have some form of health insurance. The problem, however, is that this number obscures the challenges people face in accessing this insurance, from doing outside work to paying high insurance premiums or underinsurance.

A USDA-funded research and expansion project found that 41% of farming families received health insurance through off-farm income. Another 36% used public insurance options such as Medicaid or Medicare. There were 33% who had a private policy, and the small remainder secured insurance through organizations like the Farm Bureau, ministries of health, or stayed on their parents’ plan if they were still eligible. Just over a quarter (27%) of farming families had more than one plan to insure all family members.

Becot said the average monthly premium for an individual or family in this survey was $ 750, but there was huge variation in price and coverage. The most expensive plans were those bought on the insurance marketplace.

Families who had a member with health problems were more likely to report medical debts greater than $ 1,000, but half of all participants – whether they had health problems or not – were concerned about their ability to pay the high health costs. An article in the Wisconsin State Journal said that 68% of all personal bankruptcies nationwide are related to health and medical expenses.

“We know health insurance can be expensive and difficult to navigate,” she noted. “We know that insurance costs are just as stressful as real estate costs.”

To learn more about the health insurance options available to farmers and resources for choosing a policy, watch the presentation of the AgrAbility of Wisconsin Virtual Summit, Health Insurance For Farming Families.

Abby Bauer

The author is an Associate Editor and deals with animal health, dairy farming and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy farm near Plymouth, Wisconsin and previously served as an agricultural consultant for the University of Wisconsin. She received a master’s degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/the-hurdles-of-health-insurance/