Affordable health care is of great concern for many Jamaican families. Quality health care in our little Jamaica land we love is quite expensive. Fortunately, for some people, their place of employment alleviates some of the expenses, by providing them with health insurance coverage.

As a farmer, the challenge of finding affordable health coverage is far greater. You either have to obtain private insurance or employer-sponsored insurance, where you sign up through a family member if you are a dependent. Private insurance can be quite costly, in terms of your monthly premiums (the amount that you will pay to maintain coverage for yourself and other dependents). These are not the best options. Therefore, farmers are again at a loss. That is until recently, where we see a little shimmer of light around the dark cloud through Sagicor.

Sagicor recently launched the Agri-Care Plan for Farmers and Fisherfolks. The plan gives a range of coverage options so you can choose which one best suits you. And you have the flexibility of making additions. The options are Hospital Care Health Plan, Primary Care Plan, Comprehensive Care Plan, Life Insurance, Critical Illness, and Personal Accident. Persons under the age of 75 years along with their dependents are eligible. You should be a registered member of the National Fisheries Authority- NFA, or the Rural Agricultural Development Authority- RADA.

I am well pleased with Sagicor and the Ministry of Agriculture, in making such a program available to farmers- our food providers and builders of this country. I am encouraging every farmer to grab at this opportunity! The plans are affordable and cover a wide range of health benefits, from hospital visits, maternity benefits, prescriptions, and lab services to even disabilities. You may apply online at Sagicor.com/Agricare. You may also collect and sign up an enrollment form at any RADA, Sagicor branch, or fisheries office. Open enrollment where you will not need to submit any medical, runs from March 1 to May 31.

Farming is the country’s source of food and livelihood, and it is great to see steps being taken to give farmers opportunities that have long been overdue to the profession. This step forward is applauded, we look forward to greater things and hope more insurance companies and the government will launch more plans like these. The profession looks for a bright future for our farmers, which gives a Better Jamaica!