Iowa farmers get new health care option from Landus
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
A new health coverage option for farmers aims to offer more comprehensive care in an industry that struggles with affordability and coverage.
Why it matters: The ability to offer coverage for employees is one of the most difficult hiring and recruiting challenges in rural Iowa.
Driving the news: Landus, an Iowa-based farm cooperative, is working with Momentum Ag, a health coverage provider, to offer individually underwritten rates for farmers and their employees.
- Some of Landus' members were paying upward of $36,000 annually for health care, Molly Toot, chief of staff at Landus, tells Axios.
- Under the Landus plan, a healthy, 45-year-old farmer with a spouse and kids could pay around $1,800 a month with a $7,000 deductible.
State of play: Because most farmers are self-employed, their households often rely on another family member working off the farm to obtain health care, according to the USDA.
Zoom in: The new option for Landus members is more personalized than what's offered in the marketplace because it's individually underwritten, says Lucas Strom, president of Momentum Ag.
- Even if it's not cheaper than farmers' current insurance plans, it is probably more comprehensive, Strom says.
What they're saying: "The whole ecosystem of health care is focused on large employers like Walmart," Strom says. "This is a rural America, small-business, self-employed type of model."
The intrigue: The plan also includes telemedicine coverage and a "smart care kit" that enables people to undergo remote exams from their homes.