Nebraska Farmers Have New Option for Health Insurance

The Nebraska Farm Bureau heard consistently from its producer-members that the lack of affordable health insurance was a huge concern. President Steve Nelson says many families are struggling to provide health care. “Many have had to find a second job to help pay for health insurance or so they can get it through an employer,” Nelson says. “We’ve looked at this closely and wanted to do something to help our members.” Politico says the Nebraska Farm Bureau announced a partnership with Minnesota-based Medica, Inc., a health insurance company. They’ve formed a health plan specifically for farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses. The organization’s members, or those people earning at least 50 percent of their gross income from production agriculture, are allowed to enroll. Outside of Nebraska, Choices Magazine conducted a study that found eight percent of farmers included in a nationwide sample had no health insurance as recently as 2016. Those farmers cited unaffordable premiums or out-of-control costs due to high deductibles and out-of-pocket payments. 53 percent of those respondents say they are concerned about having to sell farm assets to cover health care costs