164 



TESTIMONY 



Of 



Georgia Healthy Farmers Project 



for 



Hearing of House Agriculture committee 



on 

 "Economic Situation Currently Facing 

 U.S. Agriculture and Rural Communities" 



February 3, 1993 



The financial picture of rural communities would be incomplete 

 without the acknowledgement of health care costs to rural families, 

 in particular, to farm families. Georgia Healthy Farmers Project 

 found one out of every three farm injuries uninsured (the general 

 population experiences one in seven uninsured) . Injury data is an 

 example only of those coerced to seek care. How many farm families 

 lack elective medical care? An educated guess would be, many. 



The majority of farms in the United states are family owned. This 

 means the independent, small business man, the family farmer, must 

 bare the expense of private health care insurance. In Georgia that 

 can cost from $25o-S750 per month for catastrophic or minimal 

 coverage for a healthy family of four. This cost is a burden for 

 any small business, but add to this the lack of access to care in 

 rural communities and time away from the job due to illness or 

 injury becomes a viable consideration for all rural business 

 owners. 



Farm wives are the perfect example of a population segment that is 

 denied the benefit of current health care programs. Too much 

 income to qualify for free mammograms, but do not have insurance to 

 cover preventive care. 



It is a well known fact that the most effeotive cost benefit ratio 

 in occupational medicine is in the arena of preventive care. Unless 

 change occurs, rural populations can anticipate being denied the 

 obvious advantage preventive care contributes to a community, a 

 strong and viable work force. 



178 Piachusi Sheet, NB / turn 100 / Atlanta, Ceobgia 30309 / 404 694 4293 



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