National Farmers Union Discusses Health Care
Local News
by
Stephany Beshara
last edited on
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Experts say people living in rural America tend to be less insured than those living in bigger cities.
And many South Dakota farmers and ranchers are among those under insured Americans
Farmers and ranchers are an aging population. Norris Patrick, a dairy farmer from eastern South Dakota, says his age is what's keeping him insured.
Patrick says, "I'm on Medicare and have Part D to help it out so I'm in fine shape, but the people who are younger than me, there is a struggle they should not have to go to town to get a job to bring home their insurance. They should be able to stay home and pay for their insurance."
The National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson agrees saying the self employed farmer and rancher are challenged with the current health care system.
Johnson says, "For most of these guys the cost of paying for that health insurance is not fully tax deductible like it is for larger businesses that may have group plans that they've put in place."
But U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says the proposed health care plan takes into consideration many farmers and ranchers are self employed.
Vilsack says, "It will provide tax credits and assistants for self employed people, read that 'farmers,' and small business owners, read that 'small town' fill in the blank, to be able to better afford better health insurance."
While many of the farmers and ranchers say they consider themselves republicans, they say health care reform isn't about party politics. To them it's about keeping rural America healthy and their family farms alive.
The National Farmers Union passed a special order of business on health care reform at its national convention on Tuesday in Rapid City.
The special order asks Congress to set partisan differences aside to "act boldly and do what is right for the nation’s future health and prosperity."