Should farm owners be required to provide migrant farm-workers with health insurance?
Introduction
The agricultural sector in the United States is a significant economy contributor. The agricultural sector depends on manual labor that is provided by farm-workers who are involved in harvesting, planting, plants processing, houses packing and facilities preparation that are connected to farming (Bruhn 79). Most of the farm-workers are Latin American migrants and minor representations from other regions. Migrant farm-workers in America are a representation of one group that exists among the most marginalized and less served population in the state. A migrant farm worker is described as a person whose primary employment lies in the agricultural sector on a recurring basis and exists in houses that are temporary. In America currently, there are over three million farm-workers who are migrants. Farm-workers are in most cases isolated from the basic institutions in America such as educational system, healthcare, churches, and social services among others. Health care provision is the most significant system that is objected at ensuring the wellbeing of individuals which in turn contributes towards social as well as economic development (Bruhn 80). Therefore it is clear that every person that contributes to economic and social development deserves proper medical care regardless of their origin. The migrant’s farm-workers in America should be provided with health care insurance.
While migrants farm-workers in America offers the required manual labor in the agricultural production of vegetables as well as fruits that are provided on daily basis to the American consumer market they remain invisible in the health sector. The farm-workers employees and the health sector literally and figuratively exclude the migrant’s workers from accessing quality health care (Bruhn 82). The agricultural sector sales exceed billions of money annually whose efficiency depends on manual labor. Despite the fact that the migrant’s workers are seasonal or temporary workers they qualify for health care insurance provision from employees. The workers are normally involved in tasks that are characterized by injuries and infections which may be obtained from the tools they use of plantations chemicals. Due to the nature of farming that is normally seasonal, there is a need to ensure that health is maintained by the workers. A healthy employee can be termed as a productive associate and asset to the well being of the farm (Bruhn 84). A healthy and a stable workplace continuously remains an essential feature of the agricultural sector as a major economic growth determinate.
Health insurance remains among the top issues in America as the cost of the premiums is too high for individuals with low income such as migrant farm-workers. As most of the American citizens have to handle luxury health covers those that ensure that they never lack food in the stores have to work without simply because the farm owners consider them as temporary workers (Allender, Rector and Warner 939). Migrants farm-workers should not be considered as temporary employees since their chances of getting employment in another sector are so slim. In the quest of attracting as well as maintaining the significant workforce, agricultural producers and growers rely highly on seasonal and migrant farm-workers who perform different tasks in supporting the farming sector. Manual labor requires healthy persons with the will and energy of engaging in the given roles without physical or internal health complications. A health insurance is one of the most significant benefits that a manual laborer employee should access (Allender, Rector and Warner 939). Farm owners should provide the migrant laborers with health insurance as a humane and efficient strategy in support of the agricultural sector. It is well known that without the labor offered by the migrants this implies that the health sector would highly suffer from low productivity in terms of profit and goods.
Farm owners should provide health insurance to migrant farm-workers which should be entitled to their taxes payment. Payment of taxes means that the individuals are directly linked with social and economic growth and therefore this qualifies them in accessing social needs such as quality health care (Allender, Rector and Warner 939). The migrant’s workers provide labor in a secondary market which is agriculture. In this sector jobs are not normally stable which results in the lack of labor standards enforcement. Manual labor that is required in the farms is physically challenging and it is also performed in conditions that are harsh. The American health care is normally ranked among the highest in term of cost and this makes it difficult for the individuals to access quality care. Despite the rising agricultural high-risk scenery farm employers fail to offer health insurance to the employees based on their immigration status, low income and temporary status. However, the insurances cover can be offered to the employees on a temporary basis for the period when they work for the farm (Allender, Rector and Warner 940). This is because the farm-workers wellness is essential towards productivity and economic development.
Despite the fact that the migrant's farm-workers are essential to the American agricultural sector their migratory status does not quality them to the provision of healthcare insurance from the farm owners. Working benefits such as those for social services, education and health are given to the permanent working employees. Health care is highly acknowledged to be a great necessity for manual laborers but the migrant farm-workers status denies them the right (Boslaugh 925). Providing health insurance to the migrant's workers would be expensive for the employers since after making their investment to the laborers they will move to a different state in search of labor since it’s a seasonal job. Health insurance and other working benefits should be given with the objective of motivating and decreasing the turnover rate. However, according to Boslaugh (925), the migrant employees cannot be retained based on the fact that farming lasts in different periods and thus the benefit may not change the rate of turnover. The farm-workers migratory status, therefore, affects the capability of providing and marinating health care benefits provisions. The perspective is, however, wrong because the provision of benefits should be based on the employee's contribution. In addition, the provision of health insurance can act as a way of reducing their migratory status and retain the laborers one season after another.
Conclusion
The benefits of the migrant's farm-workers outweigh the general cost that would be incurred when the farm owners provide health insurance to them. The agricultural sector is the most important industry in the country as it offers support to all other sectors. Health insurances are highly needed to offer support to the marginalized, less served and seasonal farm laborers. The farm owners require the migrant’s labor in increasing its productivity, sales as well as profit margins. This cannot be achieved without the presence of a workforce simply because they cannot afford the high health care cost with their low income. In addition, they are highly isolated from public care based on their status. The agricultural sector source of labor is based on migrants and the need to retain them cannot, therefore, be ignore.
Work Cited
Allender, Judith, Rector, Cherie and Warner, Kristine. Community & Public Health Nursing: Promoting the Public’s Health. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2013 .
Boslaugh, Sarah. Encyclopedia of Epidemiology. London: SAGE, 2007. Print.
Bruhn, John G. The Sociology of Community Connections. Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media B.V, 2011. Internet resource.
