One of the topics in the current Iowa legislative session is health insurance, and a bill that would allow the Iowa Farm Bureau to offer affordable insurance to all members is back in the Senate.

Senate File 2329 was recently amended and passed out of the Iowa House, and will now be reviewed by the Senate before possibly being passed to the governor’s desk. State Representative Ralph Watts (R – District 19) explains, Farm Bureau has offered to put up $35 million to underwrite health insurance plans through Wellmark. Watts believes that this could be an ideal solution for many Iowa residents who can’t afford insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, which currently only has one provider, Medica. He realizes the solution isn’t foolproof and there will still be work to be done to retool the ACA, but he does feel it’s something the legislature should explore.

“Whether it’ll be successful or not, I don’t know. But it provides some opportunity for people to get some health insurance where otherwise they wouldn’t have the opportunity. So I think that’s a glimmer of hope that maybe there’s some changes on the horizon somewhere with the health insurance debacle that Obamacare (ACA) has caused over the last several years.”

Watts points out, you don’t have to be a farmer to be a member of the Farm Bureau, as it’s open to any interested citizen who pays the yearly membership fees.