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Farmers feeling impact of ACA changes
The government relations director with the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) says rising health insurance costs are adding to the financial squeeze on farmers.
Michelle Ramirez-White says the subsidy changes within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill are being felt by producers.
“We put out a survey as Wisconsin Farmers Union.” She says, “We’ve heard from a lot of members that it changed by thousands of dollars, and the cost of things like prescription drugs has changed significantly.”
Robyn Calvey, owner of Park Ridge Organics in Fond du Lac County, says it’s not only a challenge for farmers and their families, but also their employees.
“Health care is a real dilemma.” She says, “You want people to succeed, you want them to be financially stable, but that puts everyone in a different category for health insurance and as an employer, there isn’t anything out there that I’m able to afford to help them offset the cost of their insurance.”
AUDIO: Robyn Calvey – Park Ridge Organics
WFU president and Vernon County farmer, Darin Von Ruden tells Brownfield…
“It’s something that we’re trying to pin down for our members too, if we can get an organization-wide healthcare plan that would help some of our members.” He says, “Currently the marketplace isn’t the best place for them.”
Ramirez-White says 14% of Wisconsin farm families have no health insurance at all, and another 17% have catastrophic coverage solely for severe, work-related accidents. Nationally, 41% of dairy farmers lack health insurance coverage.
AUDIO: Michelle Ramirez-White – Wisconsin Farmers Union
Most farmers voted for Trump, so I don’t feel one bit sorry for them. You reap what you sow.