Discussing Healthcare

Discussing Health Care. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.
Health care has been the hot topic on Capitol Hill for weeks and that’s not likely to change as members of Congress are at home for the August recess.

WOLFF: Everything is up in the air and to a great degree what members of congress hear while they’re at home will determine how things will turn out, because you can determine all the policy options you want, but it’s the proposal that can get the most votes that will go to the floor.

American Farm Bureau health policy specialist Pat Wolff says with three different proposals in the house, another in the senate and one senate committee yet to weigh in, there is a lot to be decided.  But farmers are concerned about a version that calls for employers to either provide health coverage or pay an eight percent tax on payroll.

WOLFF: Just because the house passes a bill that says ‘Hey you’ve got to buy health insurance for your employees or pay an eight percent tax, doesn’t mean that small business and farmers have the money to do that.

That’s why Wolff says it’s important for any legislation to have exemptions for small businesses.  Another thing to consider is the situation with temporary farm workers.

WOLFF: Many farm workers are only on the farms for a few weeks a year. It doesn’t make sense for a farmer to buy health insurance for a person who only works for him for a week or so. There’s better ways to provide health insurance for temporary and seasonal workers.

Wolff explains why the American Farm Bureau Federation is weighing in on the health reform debate.

WOLFF: Farm Bureau wants to make sure that farmers, ranchers and other people that live in rural America have access to health care and that they can get health care at reasonable costs.  What congress does with health care reform will determine whether that happens or not. 

Wolff explains the latest Capitol Hill action on health care reform.

WOLFF: There are three committees with jurisdiction in the house.  All three committees have finished their work. But the three bills aren’t the same.  They’re competing provisions and over recess the house leadership will have to decide what pieces of each bill to use in the final process.  There are two committees with jurisdiction in the senate and only one has finished.  So the Senate is on hold until September.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.