
Super glue and animal antibiotics are in the medicine cabinets of many farmers and ranchers in Texas — tools of the trade they sometimes use on themselves to avoid a trip to the doctor.
It’s not that they have anything against physicians. It’s because they either lack health insurance or their coverage is so limited that a doctor visit could saddle them with a hefty bill.
I know this because I’ve seen the glue (used to seal wounds) and animal meds in first-aid kits of some of my family members who are uninsured farmers and ranchers in south Texas. And they’re not alone. Nationwide, 10.7% of farm household members had no health insurance, compared with 9.1% for the U.S. population, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report using 2015 data, the most recent available.
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