Farmers among many facing higher insurance premiums

MCCRACKEN COUNTY — Farmers faced many challenges last year, including low commodity prices, high input costs and being stuck in the crossfire of a trade war. It's a new year, but farmers say they're facing another challenge: increased insurance premiums.

The Affordable Care Act's Enhanced Premium Tax Credits were available to people making 400% more than the federal poverty level who purchased insurance through the independent marketplace. Those subsidies allowed participants to have lower health insurance premiums of no more than 8.5% of their income.

However, those subsidies expired in December, and farmers say they are already feeling the effects.

KFF Health News reports that more than 25% of farmers purchase health insurance through the individual marketplace. Daniel Edwards, a McCracken County row crop farmer, is part of that population and benefited from the subsidies. He said his premiums have almost doubled, so he switched to a cheaper insurance plan.

"That means my deductible is going to be higher. That means it's ultimately going to come more out of my pocket, but my premium each month is less," Edwards said.

Farmers now face a new expense, along with some of the issues they dealt with last year. Edwards said it can be difficult for farmers to afford other necessities.

"The way it affects me is we've got depressed grain prices as it is, and if they're wanting more money for health insurance, that just means my dollar goes less and less," Edwards said. "I couldn't afford $900 a month out of my pocket, as I'm trying to take care of a family at home as well."

Edwards also said it's important for farmers to have health coverage, especially since farming can be dangerous.

According to the National Safety Council, agriculture is among the most hazardous occupations. The United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service states that there are 200,000 work-related injuries on farms annually.

Keith Lowry, a sixth-generation row crop farmer and the president of Lowry Farms, Inc., said he recently lost a truck to a fire. There were no injuries, but this is the type of danger farmers face.

"We get up every morning. We never know what's going to happen that day. We hope everything goes well. For the most part, it does, but some days we're dealt a little different hand, and we just go with it," Lowry said.

Edwards has also had his fair share of farm-related injuries, and he said it would have been difficult to pay the medical bill without insurance.

"To me, you've got to have health insurance to be a farmer, because you can't afford a half-million medical bill you'll be paying on that the rest of your life," Edwards said.

Edwards said some places offer insurance, but most are overpriced. He said he hopes action is taken at the national and state levels to make coverage more accessible for farmers.

"I'm hoping either administration will help with these health care premiums, because not just farmers, but the American public can't continue to pay this," Edwards said.