Healthcare comes at a cost, especially to those in the individual marketplace. Several farmers and ranchers say healthcare costs are one of the biggest challenges they face.
An independent network is now offering more affordable healthcare options to its farmer/rancher members.
AUDIO: Amanda Eller, Farmers Business Network
Farmers Business Network (FBN) recently unveiled FBN Health. FBN Health, a partnership between Farmers Business Network and Lifestyle Health Plans, ?offers lower cost health coverage for farm employees and families.?
?We kept hearing that healthcare costs, not even something directly agriculture-related, were one of the biggest challenges our members were facing on the farm,? Amanda Eller, Farmers Business Network product marketing manager said. ?This cost can be crippling for a lot of people. After hearing about it, we said, ?We have to do something.? We have partnered with Lifestyle Health Plans to offer farm-focused health plans at an affordable cost.?
FBN Health offers similar health benefits to plans presented by major employers.
?These are small business focused plans. We?re treating each farm as an employer, which is why one of the requirements is to have at least two eligible employees, or family members working on the farm who can enroll,” Eller said. ?We do an individual underwriting process for each farm group. By approaching it that way, we are able to take into account the specific needs and requirements of your group, and what health plan cost makes sense, based off your specific group.?
Farmers Business Network reports ?significant cost savings? relative to plans offered in the individual marketplace.
Farmers interested in FBN Health can visit fbnhealth.com for more rates and offers.
?You submit an application with basic ?yes or no? health questions. We use that to do the underwriting, to assess risk. That?s when we respond with a firm rate proposal. By going through that process, we are able to save people significant amounts. On top of that, we offer a discount on premiums to FBN members,? Eller said.
