Florence Becot quoted in NPR piece on health insurance for farmers
Rural Sociological Society member Dr. Florence Becot was recently quoted in a National Public Radio piece titled “Farmers are about to pay a lot more for health insurance.” Becot is a rural sociologist and associate professor in agricultural health and safety at the Pennsylvania State University. She spoke on how essential it is that farmers have adequate insurance; NPR specifically cited a 2022 study in which she found that more than 20% of U.S. farmers had medical debt exceeding $1,000, and more than half were not confident they could cover the costs of a major illness or injury. As Becot notes, farmers are incredibly vulnerable, especially as ongoing changes in tariffs and subsidies impact their ability to make a profit.