WICHITA, Kan. - Kansas farm families are carrying heavy loads of medical debt, even though most of them are covered by some health insurance, a new study shows.

In findings that surprised even its authors, a survey of Kansas farmers by the Boston-based Access Project found that an overwhelming majority of farmers, about 95 percent, bought medical insurance. But so many had purchased just minimal or catastrophic health policies that left them vulnerable to most illnesses or accidents.

"Isn't it good to have something? I am not sure. That something needs to cover the things you have to have covered, otherwise all those monthly payments are meaningless - you just threw your money away," said Bill Lottero, an analyst with The Access Project.

While their research found that one in six Kansas farmers had medical debt, there was a big discrepancy between the medical debt levels of older farmers and non-elderly farmers. Only five percent of those age 65 and over had medical debt while nearly one in three farmers under age 65 reported significant medical bills. The median owed was $2,500.

Since older farmers have insurance coverage through Medicare, the apparent disparity led the study's authors to question whether younger farm families were buying adequate coverage.

"It is unusual to see people with this level of insurance and yet having medical debt across the span - that was surprising to me," said Kim Moore, president of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.

Nine of every 10 farmers reported owing money to their doctors, with nearly as many owing to hospitals. About two-thirds had outstanding prescription costs, while slightly over half had bills with dentists. Thirteen percent reported owing money to ambulance services.

The survey was funded by United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and the Kellogg Foundation, and based on the responses of 281 randomly selected members of the Kansas Farmers Union.

"For years, I've heard that farmers have high-deductible policies and this seems to substantiate that is the case," Moore said.

While the new study covered just Kansas farmers, the issue is indicative of problems faced by farmers across the nation as well as self-employed people or small employers who are buying these catastrophic health policies because they cannot afford high premium costs, Lottero said.

But The Access Project did not know of any other studies which specifically examined medical insurance carried by farm families, said Nancy Kohn, one of the Kansas study's co-authors.

Farmers are not alone in struggling to pay their medical bills, either.

A national survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation last year found nearly a quarter of Americans had problems paying medical bills, with one in five reporting having an overdue medical bill. That was in spite of the fact that 61 percent of those Americans were covered by health insurance, the study found.

ON THE NET

The Access Project: http://www.accessproject.org

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ROXANA HEGEMAN
Associated Press

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