Vermont farmers face another crisis: rising health care costs

In the last few years, Vermont farmers have contended with a series of disasters — back-to-back floods followed by a drought that stretched throughout much of this year’s growing season .

Now, many are quietly grappling with a different kind of emergency: soaring health insurance costs.

At a legislative meeting last month, Maddie Kempner, of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, said that farmers, many of whom are self-employed, stand to be disproportionately impacted by the loss of federal COVID-era health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year .

“We’ve heard from farmers recently who are considering leaving the state or the country in order to access affordable care,” Kempner told state lawmakers.

Others are trying to figure out how they’ll afford sky