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Health care is the top legislative priority for INFB in 2020

Indiana’s 2020 legislative session began Monday. Indiana Farm Bureau county leaders met with legislators this week during a legislative luncheon to discuss top priorities for 2020.

Katrina Hall, director of public policy with INFB, says establishing a health benefit plan for members is the number one priority.  

“The current statutory framework doesn’t work for what we need to provide to our members so that’s really the reason we’re pursuing this legislative solution,” she says.

She says the bill will be aimed at allowing an association to offer health benefits to the sole proprietor because data shows that 80 percent of farmers and farm families are sole proprietors or have less than two employees.

“The bill has been drafted, we’re waiting for it to be assigned to a committee and once it’s assigned to a committee then we’ll know a little bit more about the hearing,” she says. “…we’re hoping that it would be in the next week and a half or so.”

Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron encourages Indiana Farm Bureau members to contact legislators.  

“It’s going to take an intensive grassroots effort from our members talking to legislators, making sure they understand what the need is and why it’s important,” he says.

The session is scheduled to end mid-March.