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Around Farm bureau
Health tax would ‘HIT’ small business employees —From the AFBF Communications Team
The Health Insurance Tax will hurt small business employees the hardest, according to congressional testimony on May 9 by dairy owner Dean Norton, president of the New York Farm Bureau. Testifying before the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology, Norton, who is also a board member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, encouraged House members to cosponsor H.R. 763, which would repeal the HIT. The HIT, which was passed as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, will be levied on a health insurance company’s net premiums. But, said Norton, in the end it will be employees who ultimately pay the price. “Because of escalating health insurance premiums, we’ve had to significantly change the cost structure from covering about 90 percent of the insurance cost
to approximately 50 percent through a high deductible plan,” said Norton. “Unfortunately, the people who are really hurt by this change are the employees. They now have to contribute a larger portion of the expense when they seek medical attention.” Most farmers and other small businesses do not selfinsure because they do not have a large enough pool of employees, said Norton. Instead, small employers purchase health insurance on the fully insured market. Because the smallest employers almost never self-insure, they will end up bearing the brunt of the HIT. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2012 Survey of Employer Health Benefits, only 15 percent of the smallest employers self-insure. Further, health insurance costs for small businesses have increased 103 percent since 2000. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the HIT will further increase family premiums by $400 or 2.5 percent in the year 2016,
making it even harder for farmers to purchase coverage for themselves, their families and their employees. “Being able to offer health insurance is important to us as we strive to offer benefits that attract high quality workers and to keep them
H.R. 763, introduced by Reps. Charles Boustany, R-La., and Jim Matheson, D-Utah, would repeal the annual fee on health insurance providers, preventing premium increases for individuals and small businesses in the fully insured health insurance marketplace.
Don’t Fry Day —By Andy Dietrick Public Relations Team Sunshine has been scarce this spring, and too much moisture is keeping many farmers in the shed and out of the fields. But soon enough drier, warmer days will mean hours of outside time for farmers and their families. The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention urges you to take care of your skin while working outdoors and has designated the Friday before Memorial Day (May 24) as “Don’t Fry Day” to remind everyone to protect his or her skin, and The newest of Indiana Farm Bureau’s special interest websites is “Get Involved, Stay Informed” (www.ifbstayinformed.org). The site provides news and information on state and national government issues, agricultural policy and Farm Bureau’s policy process, and it makes it easy for members to get involved. Members can also use the site to sign up to receive Farm Bureau newsletters, such as the PPDispatch. Ifbstayinformed.org joins IFB’s other websites: www.infarmbureau.org, www. itpaystobeamember.org, www. thehoosierfarmer.com and www.my-indiana-home.com.
Calendar of Events June 1 5, 6 6 7 8 11 15 15 18 18 19, 20 21 22, 23 28-July 26 30
IFB Leaders in Action, session 3, IFB home office IFB Women’s Leadership Committee meeting. District woman leader alumni lunch. District 10 outing, Louisville Bats baseball game. District 2 Young Farmer outing. District 5 state officer meeting. District 1 summer picnic, South Bend Silver Hawks baseball game. District 9 summer picnic, Lincoln City. District 2 resolutions meeting. District 8 state officer meeting. IFB board of directors meeting. Policy recommendations due to IFB home office. State Young Farmer outing. Summer membership blitz. District 2 ice cream social.
July 1 1-4
District 3 “Summer Fun” event. District 4 trip.
May 20, 2013
healthy and productive once they are on the payroll,” continued Norton. But, he said, “Escalating health insurance costs not only impact farm employers, but also those who purchase health insurance coverage for themselves and their families.”
children’s skin as well. According to the council, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. More people will get skin cancer this year than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer combined. The good news is that it is simple to protect our skin and reduce the risk of getting skin cancer. It’s as easy as “Slip! Slop! Slap!...and Wrap” – slip on a shirt, slop on broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, slap on a wide-brimmed hat, and wrap on UV blocking sunglasses. It is especially important to protect children from harm-
ful effects of the sun because sunburns during childhood increase the risk of getting skin cancer later in life. The National Council is the united voice of 40 organizations, associations and agencies dedicated to skin cancer prevention in the United States. You can learn more at www.skincancerprevention.org.
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www.thehoosierfarmer.com