November 5, 2009

Farmers speaking out against health care reform bills

RICHMOND—Farmers across the commonwealth are asking their Congressional representatives to consider proposed health care reform bills’ potential impact on rural Virginia.

Producer members of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation have begun contacting their House and Senate representatives and asking them to oppose H.R. 3963 and the health care proposal being finalized in the Senate, both of which include a public option.

Farm Bureau acknowledges that health care reform as proposed in the current legislation will have a huge impact on the cost, quality and availability of the health insurance farmers purchase for themselves, their families and their employees. The organization’s official policy, created by farmers, opposes compulsory national health insurance and any national health plan.

“A public option is contrary to our belief that health insurance reform should be market-based,” said Trey Davis, VFBF political education and legislative specialist. “In addition, health insurance costs are an ongoing and significant expense for farmers, and our members are asking their elected officials not to saddle them with costs they cannot afford. They are concerned about their premiums, their coverage and the potential impact on their businesses.”

Most farmers, he noted, either get health insurance through a private employer—through an off-farm job—or purchase a health plan through a private provider. Many Virginia farmers also employ at least seasonal help.

“Our members are asking that Congress oppose a public option that would compete with the private system and drive up their out-of-pocket costs or ration the care that is available,” Davis said. “If there is a separate program created to provide health care for Americans who do not already have health insurance, we are asking that it not require further subsidization from taxpayers. The majority of farmers are pleased with the service they receive from highly trained brokers in our current system. Competition is not the issue—it tends to be accessibility and cost.”

Government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid reimburse only around 70 percent of the true cost of health care to hospitals and doctors. Farm Bureau supports provisions in the House bill that increase those reimbursement rates to rural doctors and healthcare facilities. Any further cuts to those doctors’ reimbursement rates, Davis said, “will make it even more difficult for rural hospitals to stay open.”

Contact Davis at 804-290-1017.