Nov
22
2006
Health Insurance on the Farm
Author: Valeria WeberNearly one in three Wisconsin farmers has no health insurance coverage or is underinsured, according to a Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation survey.
Even among those with insurance, farmers or their spouses often turn to off-farm employment to gain better coverage and defray the high cost of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
The survey of 500 farmers showed that 14% had no health coverage and 17% had only catastrophic coverage that included high deductibles and no payments for prescription drugs or visits to doctors. Of those with private coverage, 64% purchased insurance on their own with average out-of-pocket expenses of $8,827 a year.
More after the jump…
