Farmers are about to pay a lot more for health insurance [View all]
Source: NPR
December 31, 20256:00 AM ET
It's been a tough year for farmers. Between falling prices for commodity crops like corn and soybeans, rising input costs for supplies like fertilizer and seeds, the Trump tariffs and the dismantling of USAID, many in agriculture won't be profitable this year. The enhanced subsidies that many Americans, including farmers, rely on to purchase health insurance are set to expire at the end of this month.
James Davis, 55, who grows cotton, soybeans and corn in north Louisiana, said he doesn't know how he and his wife will afford coverage next year, when their insurance premium will quadruple, jumping to about $2,700 a month. "You can't afford it. Bottom line, there's nothing to discuss. You can't afford it without the subsidies," Davis said.
More than a quarter of the agricultural workforce purchases health insurance through the individual marketplace, according to an analysis from KFF, a nonprofit health policy research organization. That 27% rate is much higher than the overall population — only 6% of U.S. adults have non-group coverage.
Farmers are used to facing challenges like unpredictable weather and fluctuating commodity prices. But the loss of the enhanced subsidies, coupled with the challenging economic conditions, will make coverage unaffordable for many. Without major intervention from Washington, farmers say they'll have to choose between being uninsured or leaving the farm work behind for a job that offers health insurance.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/12/31/nx-s1-5655252/u-s-farmer-insurance-premiums-tariffs-seeds-fertilizer-inflation-iowa
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