A bill to provide farmers with another option for health care coverage is now law.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 100 this week, creating Farm Bureau Health Plans that give access to what the bureau calls affordable, personalized health care for Ohio farm families.
Senate Bill 100 was introduced by state Sen. Susan Manchester and passed unanimously by lawmakers.
Prior to its passing, many health care interest groups expressed their opposition to the bill. That includes the American Diabetes Association and American Lung Association.
In previous testimonies to the Ohio General Assembly, these groups stated that they oppose the bill because it could leave patients with thin coverage and without the same protections for pre-existing conditions.
The bureau said it will help close a gap in health coverage and improve the well being of its current members. These health plans are in addition to the Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan, which offers small businesses health care plans for their employees.
鈥淲ith health care costs continuing to rise, many Ohio farm families are having a hard time finding affordable, high-quality coverage, so they asked Ohio Farm Bureau for a better way and this is it,鈥� said Bill Patterson, president of Ohio Farm Bureau, in a press release. 鈥淥hio Farm Bureau Health Plans will provide quality options at competitive rates, meaning that the peace of mind of health care coverage is no longer out of reach for our members.鈥�
Similar bills have already been approved in other states including Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.
The Ohio Farm Bureau director of state policy and grassroots engagement, Whittney Bowers, said to WYSO in a previous interview that introducing this bill can help respond to the bureau's recent Farm Stress Survey which found that 44% reported they would have benefitted from help coping with their daily stress.
鈥淓fforts of this magnitude don鈥檛 just happen,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淲hat started as a grassroots concern turned into policy that filled a specific need in the agriculture community in a matter of months, thanks to our members and the Ohio Farm Bureau policy team. It also couldn鈥檛 have happened without the leadership of Gov. DeWine, as well as Ms. Manchester, Mr. Peterson and their fellow lawmakers for bringing this momentous bill to fruition.鈥�
The Bureau says its goal is to start offering members new health plan options starting January 2026.