Statewide Iowa (RI) — Members of the Iowa Farmers Union say they agree with Republicans who say something needs to be done about out-of-control health care costs, but the group’s executive director Matt Russell says letting thousands of Iowans lose the tax credits they’ve used to buy insurance, without having an alternative in place, doesn’t solve the affordability problem.
According to KFF, a health care research group, 27% of U.S. farmers, ranchers and agribusiness managers have relied on subsidies to buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.
Seth Watkins raises cattle, sheep and bees in Page County. Watkins says insurance cost his family of four about $600 a month this year and will nearly quadruple to $2,300 a month in 2026.
Beth Hoffman, a Monroe County farmer, raises cattle and goats. She and her husband had been paying $300 a month for insurance and would have had to pay four times that much next year if they kept the same amount of coverage in 2026.
They’ve opted for a bare bones plan with a $7,000 deductible.
Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman raises corn and hay in northern Polk County.
The Affordable Care Act tax credits will still be available for households with an income under 400% of the federal poverty level, but the subsidies for households about that line that were extended in 2021 are scheduled to end December 31st.
KIWA Staff Photo
