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Farm Events: |
Farm News: Farmers Union Keeps An Eye On BadgerCarecommentsPosted: 04.01.2011
Processes for farmers wanting to enter the state’s BadgerCare insurance system should not be allowed to become more difficult under state biennial budget proposals, a Wisconsin Farmers Union executive said March 30 at a Wisconsin Department of Health Services listening session in Eau Claire.
Wisconsin Farmers Union Executive Director Scott Schultz said during the session that more than 11,000 members of Wisconsin family farms are enrolled in BadgerCare -- a strong indication of the program’s need among farmers and other rural self-employed business people.
“That number is up from recent years, as farmers are still rebuilding equity after the 2009 dairy crisis,” Schultz said. “From what we’ve seen, it’s often young farmers who are just getting started in farming who seek BadgerCare coverage. The program is one of the tools many need when starting their businesses and haven’t begun to cash-flow.”
In efforts to centralize, automate and privatize BadgerCare intake and renewal functions, the DHS should consider limited high-speed Internet access in rural areas, some farmers’ unwillingness to be straight-forward about their problems and income fluctuations, he said.
The potential for doing more online applications would be slowed by fewer than 40 percent of farms not having high-speed Internet access,
Schultz said the process of reporting self-employment income has been difficult for farmers seeking the program’s help, in part because applicants and state officials have had challenges understanding how to treat self-employment income and farm-equipment depreciation. The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s Farm Center has helped clarify some of those issues and would continue to be a good resource for future assistance, he said.
The WFU also is advocating for continuing a BadgerCare feature allowing farmers to pay small penalties or increased premiums to maintain the program’s coverage when short-term income fluctuations increase slightly beyond enrollment limits.
“We feel this feature is important and should continue,” Schultz said. “Boomeranging back and forth between having and not having health insurance would cause significant disruption in working families’ lives.”
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