CHICAGO — Farmers Business Network, the leading direct-to-farm ag tech platform and farmer-to-farmer network, announced updates to FBN Health — Health Coverage Designed for Farmers.
FBN Health will now be available nationwide in all 50 states, it has expanded to offer four different health plans with varying deductibles and farmers can now enroll any time of year — not just during open enrollment.
Accessing affordable health care is one of the most critical issues facing farm families, and many farms do not have group health coverage for their employees. In an ultra-competitive job market, offering employees health benefits can be a key component of retaining workers.
Compounding this problem is the high cost of medical transport and ambulance services — a single ambulance charge can run into the tens of thousands of dollars for residents of remote rural areas, creating the potential for high costs not covered by some health plans.
A recent survey of FBN members found:
• Nearly 55% of farmers polled feel they have not set aside enough savings to cover a major health event.
• 59% of farmers say a major health event would seriously endanger their financial security.
“Every day farmers put their physical health on the line, but for too long, they haven’t been able to rely on affordable, premium health insurance plans,” said Amol Deshpande, CEO and co-founder of FBN.
“Now FBN Health provides members with the opportunity to save money on health plans and have peace of mind that their family and employees have exceptional coverage.”
Launched in 2018, FBN Health now has four different plans with varying deductible amounts, ranging from $2,000 to $6,500. All plans offer national provider network coverage, and members have the potential to pay $0 out-of-pocket for services by utilizing the highest quality, best priced providers.
FBN member Michael Bergen, a Nebraska row crop farmer, saved an average of $1,900 per month by switching to FBN Health.
Benefits included in the plans offered through FBN Health include:
• Members can earn up to $750 deductible credit per year by completing wellness exams, screenings and so forth.
• $0 Preventive Care on all plans.
• $0 copay on telemedicine visits.
• Each plan is individually underwritten, and pricing is based on the health and ages of the group.
• All plans include enhanced ambulance coverage.
• All plans are backed by a nationwide provider network — making it easy to find an in-network provider and hospital anywhere.