Healthcare Part 2

Healthcare Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Do you have a healthcare plan? Many people in the state do not but if some legislation is passed you may be eligible and your employer might have to pay. Mike Gempler, Washington Growers League says that depending on the proposal some very small farming operations that employ workers only during harvest could be on the line.

GEMPLER: Well the way some of these bills are written now that would be over the exemption and would require that employer to pay for the health insurance for his employees at least during that period of time.

There are at least 5 bills that are floating around out there with various plans for providing healthcare. Gempler says in the case of the small operation it might be handled through a tax situation.

GEMPLER: The way generally that would be taken care of is that there would be a tax, a fee on payroll and one of the bills in the House that’s most likely to be considered seriously in negotiations has an 8% payroll tax so if you didn’t pay for health insurance for your employees and goodness who would be able to for someone who is only employed there a couple of weeks. I mean they wouldn’t even know where to send the invoice.

Gempler is adamant that this approach would be very destructive for not only seasonal farming but in general.

GEMPLER: When you have so many years when you have low margins or no margins that sort of payroll tax could be a real barrier to continuing in the business.

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