Many of the bills signed by Governor Mike Kehoe after the 2025 session of the General Assembly take effect on August 28th. Included in those bills is legislation that allows the Missouri Farm Bureau to offer affordable health insurance plans to its members. It’s legislation that has been worked on for three years in Missouri.
Senate Bill 79, championed by Sen. Kurtis Gregory (R-Marshall) and Rep. Brad Pollitt (R-Sedalia), aims to provide a new, affordable health coverage option for farmers and rural communities, addressing the need for more accessible and cost-effective healthcare solutions.
The Farm Bureau anticipates that the plans will be available in 2026, and they are expected to be about 30 percent less expensive than unsubsidized plans available on the health insurance marketplace. Similar Farm Bureau health plans have been successful in 10 other states. The Tennessee Farm Bureau’s plan, developed 78 years ago, has a retention rate of some 98 percent.
Garrett Hawkins, Missouri Farm Bureau President, said, “This is a significant win for our members and all rural Missourians. For years, our members have told us how desperately they needed another option to manage their healthcare expenses. The existing coverage options were simply out of reach or unavailable for too many hardworking families. We listened, and today, I am both incredibly proud and deeply humbled to announce that—thanks to this newly signed law—our members will finally have access to a new, affordable path forward.”
The Missouri Farm Bureau appreciated the work done by Senator Gregory, Representative Pollitt, other legislators, and Governor Kehoe, who said Missouri’s farm families will have more options than they had before, “an affordable option I might add, so we’re excited to see what the expansion of coverage can do for rural Misssouri.”
Provisions of SB 79:
- Establish a regulatory framework for health benefit contracts offered by membership organizations.
- Mandate MO HealthNet coverage of medically necessary cochlear implants and hearing instruments for all eligible participants.
- Ensure patients can access telehealth services using audio-only technology and prevents restrictions that limit care to specific corporate platforms.
- Improve prenatal testing protocols to align with current medical standards and ensure timely care for expectant mothers.
These provisions will improve health outcomes while reducing barriers for families, farmers, and seniors living in rural and remote areas.
The Farm Bureau Health Plans legislation had strong support from not only the rural interests, but of those seeking more affordable health care options. This law becomes effective on August 28,2025.