Highlands bureau hopes to offer farmers health coverage

By JOHN GUERRA

Staff Writer

The Florida Farm Bureau Federation wants to add affordable healthcare coverage to the services it offers its members in Highlands County and elsewhere in Florida.

The bureau has nearly 132,000 members statewide, the organization said.

The state Farm Bureau on Jan. 9 read HB 851 into the record of the state Legislature, which, if the bill passes, would let the bureau offer individual and family healthcare plans, dental and vision coverage, and even Medicare supplement insurance. The one-page bill does not describe the kinds of policies or coverage the bureau would offer. The bill's details will be worked out in House and Senate committees, a local Farm Bureau official said.

Though the Tennessee, Texas and Arkansas legislatures have passed laws allowing their farm bureaus to sell those kinds of health plans, Florida does not yet allow it.

Highlands County Farm Bureau President Trevor Murphy said the Nonprofit Agricultural Organization Health Coverage Act of 2024 would allow the Farm Bureau to offer less-expensive health insurance in Highlands County and elsewhere in the Sunshine State.

"We currently don't offer health insurance," Murphy said. "A handful of other states do offer it. We hope to model our health plan offerings after Tennessee's, which they've been doing for seven years."

Group health insurance is too expensive or not available for small business owners, yet the health insurance marketplace does not render a viable option either for self-employed individuals who are outside the Affordable Care Act (ACA) income limits, Murphy said.

"These healthcare plans are not meant to compete with ACA providers as they benefit rural healthcare facilities in tandem with providing coverage to underserved populations," he said.

The need is an economic necessity for ag operators, Murphy said.

Farmers who spend less for their health insurance can realize more profit while maintaining good health as they work their farms, he said. As things stand, at least 75% of farmers work another job to pay for their family's health insurance premiums, he added.