As the nation’s policy makers continue to hash out health care reform, farm groups are watching closely. AgNet West Farm News Director Sabrina Hill talks with National Farmer’s Union Government Relations Representative Matt Perdue to get his take on what’s best for ag at this point.
Listen to the interview:
“It’s been a crazy week for health care in Washington,” Perdue explains. He said there is a lot of action happening at this moment in health care reform that could have a big impact on farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans.
Listen to the interview above to get full details on what’s happening now.
In a news release from earlier this week, NFU asked that lawmakers focus on writing fixes to the ACA that provide Americans with accessible, affordable, quality healthcare.
“The cost of health care has long been a primary concern of farmers and ranchers,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “While there is certainly room for improvements to current policy, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) and the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act both ignore the needs of family farmers and ranchers. NFU urges you to vote no on either piece of legislation and to seek a common sense, bipartisan solution to improve our nation’s health care system.”
Johnson noted that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a step in the right direction. It installed a system of tax credits and premium subsidies that allows many farmers to maintain consistent coverage, and it expanded Medicaid to the benefit of rural communities and hospitals.
“Yet, our current healthcare system is not without problems,” he said. “Many farmers and ranchers continue to face high premiums, and the Health Insurance Marketplace needs stabilization. However, the BCRA would leave many rural Marketplaces without a single insurer. Worse yet, completely repealing the ACA would leave nearly three-quarters of the population without a single insurer in the non-group market.”