Kohl, Obey Win $2.25 Million for Wisconsin Farmer Health Care Co-Op

KOHL, OBEY WIN $2.25 MILLION FOR WISCONSIN FARMER HEALTH CARE CO-OP

Funds included in fiscal year 2005 budget bill

WASHINGTON-The House today approved the final FY2005 federal budget which includes a provision sponsored by U.S. Senator Herb Kohl and Congressman Dave Obey to provide $2.25 million for a Wisconsin farmer health care cooperative to increase access to affordable health benefit plans. The funding will be used to create a pilot cooperative health care purchasing alliance for Wisconsin farmers and their employees and small businesses in the state's rural communities. According to the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives, more than 41 percent of Wisconsin farm families cannot afford to insure every member of their family and nearly half of those families have no insurance at all. Obey is the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee and Kohl is the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations panel.

"This is a promising new project that we hope will provide access to affordable health care insurance for the thousands of our farmers who are uninsured or underinsured," Kohl said. "Like other small business owners, our family farmers struggle to meet the expense of health care insurance. It's often a deterrent to staying in the business."

"Obtaining affordable health insurance is a huge issue for farmers and self-employed business people that goes far beyond the assistance provided in this measure," said Obey. "But when dealing with a Congress that is so antagonistic to expanding health care, every little bit of help we can provide is important."