General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRural America Loves Trump; But Pre-ACA, 20% Of Farmers Carried Medical Debt - Now What?
The ACA has been a mixed bag for agriculture. While many large farms balked at the requirement to ensure their employees (experts say it cost farm employers in California about $1 per hour per employee working in the field), most small-scale farmers often opted out of insurance all together before the ACA, or sought off-farm employment in order to get coverage through an employers plan. A 2015 USDA blog post notes that prior to the ACA, rural families struggled to find affordable healthcare, paying an average of nearly half of their costs out of their own pockets and that one in five farmers is in debt because of medical bills.
That lack of access to affordable health insurance often dissuades beginning farmers from entering the industry altogether. Andrew Bahrenburg, national policy director for the National Young Farmers Coalition, said that, in addition to such challenges as affording farmland and paying off student debt, young farmers often cite access to affordable health insurance as one of their biggest hurdles. Were talking about one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S., so health coverage often forces young farmers to make incredibly difficult decisions and trade offs, like having to work an extra off-farm job, risking debt or disaster by going without health insurance and paying a fine, or deciding to quit farming altogether, said Bahrenburg.
He also noted that many of todays young farmers began their businesses once the ACA had already been put in place. The expansion in Medicaid, the ability to remain on their parents plans until their mid-20s, and coverage for pre-existing conditions were critical for many of these young entrepreneurs and their businesses.
Under the ACA, health insurance plans were required to offer 10 essential benefits, including emergency services, hospitalization, laboratory services, and maternity and newborn care. Depression screening and mental health services were also included under the ACAparticularly relevant, as suicide rates for farmers are now higher than for any other occupational group in the United States.
EDIT
http://civileats.com/2017/05/04/how-aca-repeal-would-hurt-farmers-and-rural-communities/
we can do it
(12,210 posts)Stupid, hateful bigots.
dalton99a
(81,673 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)mucifer
(23,598 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)mucifer
(23,598 posts)you should respect the people who voted for Hillary no matter where they live.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)At the same time, the Democratic Party's job while in the opposition is to protect the broader groups that compromise our coalition from the fallout of GOP policies. The well-being of rural America is the GOP's problem, not ours.
Kentonio
(4,377 posts)We need to win the country back, and telling people their culture deserves to die is going to reinforce all the negative stereotypes rural America already has about us.
I know it's tough when things are this hard and it's largely their fault, but we have to be the party of kindness and understanding otherwise we're nothing.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)as someone who grew up in Trump country, believe me folks out there do not care about what happens to people in cities, especially those who are not heterosexual white Christians.
One does not see people in rural America wringing their hands over this cultural divide. They just sssume everything is our fault.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)They will continue to lean heavily towards Republican. If they don't like it, they'll either switch to Democrats or live with it. My guess is that they'll continue to be Republican unless things get real dire.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)and will always continue to do so. They vote on cultural issues, not economics.
LenaBaby61
(6,979 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)BannonsLiver
(16,542 posts)Not my problem. Their problem.