Humans of Gravie: Lonnie
The Humans of Gravie series highlights the benefits of Gravie Care, featuring stories on our members and the Gravie Care Advisors.
Meet Lonnie
Lonnie has been farming his land in Swanton, Nebraska nearly his entire life. “I helped my dad with farming since I was 9 years old, and I’m 54 now,” Lonnie said. “After 40+ years, it’s in your blood.” His farm produces both corn and soybeans, and though he is finally able to semi-retire, he still finds joy in his work.
Out in the Cold
While farming has brought Lonnie many joys, the lack of affordable health benefit options has been a source of constant stress.
“I’m a farmer,” Lonnie said, “and all the farmers are out in the cold with health insurance because they’re on their own. When you’re a farmer, there’s no retirement plan, there’s no one looking out for you, and there’s nobody to provide any guidance on benefits.”
In 2018, Lonnie had an individual Medica plan through an insurance agent—his only option for insurance in Nebraska that year. With an $862 monthly payment and a deductible of $6900, the frustration mounted.
“When farming has been bad like it has been for the past five years, it’s really hard for farmers to stay positive.”
Connecting with Gravie
Lonnie received a letter from his local cooperative informing him of a new opportunity: a partnership with Land O’Lakes and Gravie that provides a health benefits option exclusively for eligible Land O’Lakes co-op members. Curious about the available options and pricing, Lonnie decided to reach out to learn more about the potential for a better plan.
The inability to sit down and have a face-to-face discussion caused some unease for Lonnie at first, but after connecting with a Gravie Care Advisor via a phone call, the initial apprehensiveness faded. Lonnie’s advisor, Sam, walked him through every stage of the process, and Sam’s personable attitude and availability helped to further calm Lonnie’s concern. “The customer service at Gravie was really good,” Lonnie said. “Sam made a person feel like he was someone you could trust because if he said he was going to call me back, he did. It was a very pleasant experience dealing with someone who kept their word.”
Gravie’s Support
When your healthcare options are limited, it can be frustrating if your plan doesn’t fit your specific needs. For Lonnie, the high deductible of $6900 made acquiring some of his more expensive name-brand prescriptions a daunting task. But after talking things through with Sam, it all started looking up.
Through the partnership with Land O’Lakes and Gravie, and with Sam’s constant support, Lonnie found a copay plan with a lower deductible that covered all of his necessary prescriptions. With the new plan in place, his staggering $6900 deductible dropped to a much more manageable $1500.
“Farm economy has been so rotten for so many years, and farmers didn’t really have much of a choice until Gravie came into the picture,” Lonnie said. “I am very happy with Gravie. I don’t have one sour thing to say.”
With the Land O’Lakes Cooperative Farmer Member Health Plan, eligible co-op members have access to more coverage options at competitive prices, all within a comfortable system that helps you from start to finish. Interested in learning more about the Land O’Lakes Cooperative Farmer Member Health Plan? Contact Gravie at 844.538.4690 or coop@gravie.com.
Gravie Administrative Services LLC (“Gravie”)