Where Is Healthcare At?

Where Is Healthcare At? I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Healthcare is the big issue in both Washington’s and especially when it comes to agriculture. Mike Gempler, Washington Growers League says this is an important issue that needs to be watched.

GEMPLER: I think agriculture is in a position of wondering where they stand. With Congress getting ready to consider bills in several separate committees it’s still uncertain as to whether there will be an employer mandate.

That is a mandate for employers to pay for their employees insurance.

GEMPLER: And if there is an employer mandate at what level there will be an exception. The major bills have employer mandates but exempt smaller employers generally, except for the Senate Finance Committee bill which was voted on today which has a mandate only if your employees end up being subsidized.

The level of exemptions varies depending on the bill and Gempler says there are problems.

GEMPLER: But none of them take into account specifically short term employment of seasonal employees so you may have a cherry orchard in the Tri-Cities that has two people, an owner-operator and say a foreman who work year-round and then during harvest they may have forty to fifty people picking and that’s only for a couple of weeks and that’s it.

More tomorrow. That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.