UVM Study Finds Health Insurance Tops Farmers’ Concerns
Taylor Hutchinson of Footprint Farm in Starksboro, Vermont, was one of those surveyed in the UVM study. Taylor says she relies on Medicaid for insurance because their farm income doesn’t bring in enough to buy coverage.
Photo by Kathleen Masterson for VPR
A new study led by a University of Vermont researcher finds that the majority of farmers say the cost of health insurance is a top concern for the viability of their business.
Nationally, nearly three-quarters of farmers have someone in the household who has an off-farm job in order to provide health insurance and extra income, says Shoshanah Inwood, a rural sociologist at UVM.