“Kicked by a cow.”

A doctor in western Wisconsin says that’s what the note on his appointment calendar said. Like this one, many of the doctor’s patients are farmers in rural Dunn County.

Farmers often prioritize livestock and crops over their own health—for many reasons.

🐄They’re a one-man show, making it impossible to be away from daily chores.
🚜There’s a lot of pressure to get field work done when the weather is nice.
🚗 Especially now, they have to travel pretty far to get to a hospital.
💰Many farmers are self-employed and can’t access employer-based insurance, or their coverage is so limited that it leaves them with heavy debt.
🩺About a quarter of farmers rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage for health insurance and while this month, the US House of Representatives voted to extend enhanced subsidies for three years, the future of the legislation in the Senate isn’t finalized.

✏️: Salina Heller