Committee accepts amendment to HB99; supporters tout Farm Bureau plans, opponents warn on preexisting conditions and consumer protections

The Ohio House Insurance Committee on Wednesday accepted an amendment to House Bill 99 and then heard proponent and opponent testimony on a measure that would exempt certain Farm Bureau health benefit coverage from state insurance laws.

The amendment, AM-136-0363, was offered by Representative Barhorst and accepted "without objection," and it specifies that health care benefit coverage provided by a nonprofit agricultural membership organization's health benefit program — not the organization itself — is exempt from state insurance laws and that applications and contracts must be predominantly written to state that the coverage "is not insurance and is not subject to state insurance laws." The committee then heard proponent testimony from Ben Sanders of Farm Bureau Health Plans (Tennessee) and opponent testimony from Lee Almeda of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and others, who raised concerns about protections for people with preexisting conditions and appeals and regulatory oversight.

Proponent perspective: Ben Sanders, representing Farm Bureau Health Plans in Tennessee, told the committee the Farm Bureau model serves an uninsured or unsubsidized middle market and…