New bill seeks to create affordable health plan options for Ohio farms

Innovative legislation to expand affordable health care access to rural Ohioans has been introduced in the Ohio Legislature by Sen. Susan Manchester (R-Lakeview).

SB 100 seeks to offer access to affordable, personalized health care plans for Ohio farm families who do not have access to health insurance as an employee benefit or who are uninsured or underinsured due to high costs and limited options in the marketplace.

SB 100 would allow Ohio Farm Bureau to offer individual health plans as a benefit to its members. This would be in addition to the Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan that offers small businesses health care plans for their employees. This new alternative avenue for individual health coverage could help reduce the number of Ohioans who find themselves uninsured or underinsured. The measure has garnered the full support of Ohio Farm Bureau

“The cost of health care is impacting the financial stability of family farms and rural communities, especially when you add the recent trends of lower farm income and higher day-to-day expenses of running a family farm,” said Bill Patterson, president of Ohio Farm Bureau.… Continue reading