A first-of-its-kind health insurance plan will give Wisconsin farmers a shot at having the same level of coverage at similar costs as their off-the-farm neighbors.

Farmers have long been at a disadvantage because most can get only individual health insurance — if that — which is more expensive and provides fewer benefits than group coverage.

The plan unveiled around the state Monday by Farmers' Health Cooperative of Wisconsin provides group-level coverage for farmers and agriculture-related workers and businesses.

Designers aren't promising the plans will be cheap, but they will have more benefits than current plans of similar costs.

"We are not going to misrepresent this. It is not bargain basement health care," said Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives. "It's a very, very competitive plan."

Kewaunee County dairy farmer John Pagel said such a plan will benefit farm families and their employees.

"When you look at a lot of dairy farmers in Wisconsin, one or two of the spouses are going to work off the farm for insurance reasons only … especially the smaller farmers," he said. "They will be able to attract workers who enjoy their jobs and would choose to stay."

Pagel has insurance for his family and employees, but said "the rates are high and the coverage is low."

The Farmers' Health Cooperative of Wisconsin, in the works for three years, was detailed Monday morning at a news conference attended by U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Gov. Jim Doyle in Madison, and at other sites around the state throughout the day.

Kohl, who attended a news conference in Green Bay on Monday afternoon, helped secure $2.4 million in federal money that is being used as the initial capital for the Wisconsin program.

Farmers and their families, farm employees and those who own or work for agriculture-related businesses are eligible to enroll in one of six health insurance plans with coverage starting April 1.

There's no magic number as to how many of the state's 72,000 farmers need to sign up in order to make the program work, Oemichen said.

Oemichen said he expects farmers to have some skepticism as the plan is rolled out in March through a series of meetings across the state, but he hopes once they investigate what is being offered they will see it is a solid choice.

The insurance is through Aetna of Hartford, Conn., and administered by Agri-Services Agency of Syracuse, N.Y.

Farmers' Health Cooperative uses a statewide network, offering access to 125 hospitals, 500 care facilities and more than 17,000 practitioners across Wisconsin. None of the networks, hospitals or providers were identified on Monday.

Oemichen said the plan has "very good coverage in Northeastern Wisconsin."

The cooperative will offer individual and family plans with deductibles starting at $300 for a single person up to $5,000 with a Health Savings Account for a family. Benefits include workplace injuries, something Oemichen said most farmers don't have with current plans, $500 worth of preventative care per member and prescription drug coverage.

A University of Wisconsin survey found that 18 percent of the state's dairy farmers do not have health insurance, while 41 percent are not able to afford coverage for every member of their family.