Self-employed health insurance higher for farmers

Following last issue’s news that more than 40 percent of dairy farmers either have no health insurance or plans that don’t cover all family members, a new study by UW–Madison sociologists shows that among the health care plans for the self-employed, farmers are the hardest hit.

According to the report, farm households pay an average of $260 a month for health insurance — more than twice as much as other self-employed workers and more than three times as much as wage or salary earners. To make matters worse, these high premiums usually buy only insurance for major medical problems, not preventive care or minor ailments.

Conducted by rural sociologist Doris Slesinger and graduate student Julie Whitaker, the study also found that farmers pay higher premiums regardless of the actual health of their family members.