Healthcare Part 3

Healthcare Part 3. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

We continue today our conversation with Mike Gempler of the Washington Growers League on how healthcare reform may possibly shape up both on a federal and state levels.

GEMPLER: Through the National Council of Agricultural Employers. In particular we have been working with a coalition of agricultural groups that has been giving this message to friendly legislators from around the country in both parties and we have had amendments introduced by Democrats and Republicans to give exemptions to certain levels of seasonal employment. None of them are actually in a bill yet but that’s what we’re working on very, very hard right now.

And Gempler looks at it locally.

GEMPLER: And at the state level we also have a similar issue because our insurance commissioner is intent on having an employer mandated system. I think there is some support for that concept within the state’s administration. We will likely have this issue to be concerned about at both the federal and state level.

Gempler says that an extra 3 or 400 dollars a month per employee would not be a big incentive for small business owners.

GEMPLER: I just don’t think there is a recognition by the lawmakers of the serious negative impact on small business of an employer mandate. It’s a tremendous dis-incentive to start a business, a small business.

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