← Back to news feed
Folks, this is a pretty important conversation!
Already on the margins of income, new farmers face an especially challenging prospect when it comes to budgeting for health insurance.
The good people over at Vermont Public Radio recently did a show on the difficulties of trying to navigate the world of health care for farmer businesses.
UVM rural sociologist and researcher Shoshanah Inwood says when they asked farmers about issues they faced she expected to hear about cost of land, inputs, neighbors, but was surprised to learn that health care was on all the participants minds.
talkin healthcare for farmers
Posted: February 20 2017
Taylor Hutchinson - photo credit: Kathleen Masterson/VPR
Folks, this is a pretty important conversation!
Already on the margins of income, new farmers face an especially challenging prospect when it comes to budgeting for health insurance.
The good people over at Vermont Public Radio recently did a show on the difficulties of trying to navigate the world of health care for farmer businesses.
UVM rural sociologist and researcher Shoshanah Inwood says when they asked farmers about issues they faced she expected to hear about cost of land, inputs, neighbors, but was surprised to learn that health care was on all the participants minds.
"The number one issue facing farmers was the cost of health insurance. They identified that as the biggest threat to their farm," she said.
"Well, how many people know a farmer that has an injury? Or a farm family that has a chronic health issue? Or a mental health issue?' And everybody's hand goes up," Inwood said. "And that's the one issue we really never talk about, are some of those social needs that farm families have."
Let's just say this now: health care as a right not a privilege!
You can hear the VPR interview with farmer Taylor Hutchinson (Footprint Farm) and read the full article here