Take Our Health Insurance Survey

      Posted On: March 17, 2011

Tired of taxes? Ready for fun!? Boy, are you in luck– the National Farmers Market Health Insurance Survey is here! You can start taking the survey right now by clicking on this link. The deadline to respond has been extended to April 22nd.

The Farmers Market Coalition is partnering with the USDA Risk Management Agency, with pro bono assistance from the San Francisco Insurance Center, on this 10-15 minute survey about health care coverage for people who work in the farmers market sector.

Why is this important?  Last spring, we conducted a small preliminary survey on insurance and found that, out of 279 respondents, nearly 20% did not possess any kind of health insurance coverage.  Thirty two percent of market managers responding said that they purchase policies on their own. This was only a small glimpse into the issue, but convinced us that we should learn more, and send a revised survey to a wider audience.

Please, take this survey now, regardless of how happy you might be with your existing health coverage!  Please be assured that your anonymity will be preserved and responses will be kept entirely confidential.

Specifically, this survey is targeting producers/farm employees who sell at farmers markets, farmers market staff/volunteers, and staff/volunteers in regional or statewide farmers market organizations. Please understand that this is only designed as an analysis of the current situation, and there is no guarantee that FMC or any other farmers market organization ultimately can or will make available any kind of health benefits program.  But your participation in this survey is one important step in that direction.

If you would like to learn more about health insurance issues, we suggest you read the following report, published by the Urban Institute. You can read about the impacts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and find out which groups of people will be provided with health insurance, as well as who will continue to be uninsured.

Our ability to be your voice at the national level is dependent on your support and active participation, so we ask that you forward the survey to your producers, fellow market managers, and other farmers market staff in order to get as large a response as possible. And, of course, if you’re not a member, you can support this work and give farmers markets a louder voice by joining our growing coalition.

With questions, please contact FMC’s Research & Education Intern Drew Love at drew@farmersmarketcoalition.org.