Two of the bigger Agriculture groups are divided on the Republican plan (American Health Care Act) to replace the Affordable Care Act. Politico’s Morning Agriculture report says American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall sent a letter to Congress asking House members to pass H.R. 1628. Duvall said Farm Bureau believes the primary responsibility for health care lies with individuals. “We support repeal of mandates that require individuals to purchase insurance and employers to cover their employees,” Duvall said. “Instead, we support a system that incentivizes people to plan for their health care needs and provides for those who are unable to pay for health care themselves.” National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson also sent a letter to House members this week, asking them to not pass the bill. Johnson doesn’t agree with the new plan’s proposal to base subsidies on age instead of income. “In 2012, 75 percent of farms sold less than $50,000 in agricultural products and 57 percent had sales less than $10,000,” Johnson noted. “Young farm families that don’t receive additional income or health benefits from off-farm jobs would find it extremely difficult to purchase health insurance.” Additionally, he says the proposed legislation would also hurt older farmers, saying, “The easing of restrictions on what insurance companies can charge older customers will offset the larger subsidies offered to older farmers.”
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.
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By Vice President Pence @ twitter (Today (March 10, 2017), we welcomed our partners in Congress to the @WhiteHouse as we work toward bringing positive change to our broken healthcare system.; Picture URL) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons