WASHINGTON – Citing the need for family farmers and ranchers to have affordable access to quality health coverage, National Farmers Union (NFU) is urging Congress to vote against the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The bill is scheduled to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.
NFU President Roger Johnson sent a letter to the members of the House of Representatives today, highlighting NFU’s primary concerns with the proposed legislation. The organization is troubled by the inclusion of a cap on Medicaid, reforms to the healthcare marketplace, and the proposed system of basing premium subsidies on a person’s age, rather than their income.
Johnson noted that while our current healthcare system is not without its problems, the number of insured individuals in the United States has increased by about 13 million since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Johnson pointed out that rural hospitals are more dependent on Medicare and Medicaid payments than their urban counterparts, and the correlation between a strong Medicaid program and the success of rural hospitals has become evident during the influx of rural hospital closures over the last six years.
An audio file of Roger Johnson’s quote will be available for download shortly at nfu.org/audio.
Thank you for representing American farmers and ranchers, especially the small- and middle-sized among us with little extra cash or voice. This is a critical time of transition as the average age of American farmers nears 60 and effort is underway to help young and beginning farmers take their places redefining an agriculture that will feed, clothe, and shelter us. To do that, both young and old farmers need reliable, affordable healthcare for themselves, their workers, and their families. The ripple effects of a healthy American agriculture, a food system, reach well beyond rural America.