In a couple of weeks, Missouri Farm Bureau members will meet at the Lake of the Ozarks for our annual meeting, where we’ll set the policies that guide us in the year ahead. Soon after, Farm Bureau members from across the nation will convene in Anaheim for the American Farm Bureau’s annual meeting, and, not long after that, fellowship events will bring members together in communities across Missouri.
While many of us will log a lot of miles in the coming weeks, I’ve already put plenty on the odometer. Several years ago, my family and I discovered that the home we were living in was filled with mold. Thankfully, the rest of the family experienced no lasting effects, but the discovery came with two heavy prices: the cost to rehab the house and the cost to repair my respiratory and immune systems.
After countless doctor visits over the past 15 years, specialists in Minnesota are now helping me search for answers and hopefully restore something as simple and precious as a full, easy breath. That journey required 18 hours of windshield time last week. And while that might sound like a “woe-is-me” moment, my mind didn’t go there. I actually enjoy driving. I like watching miles of production agriculture roll by, catching glimpses of harvested fields and bustling small towns.
But those hours behind the wheel didn’t just offer scenery; they brought space to reflect. I couldn’t help thinking about the homes, farms and communities that dotted the landscape. Here I was, driving nearly a full day to reach a specialist, while I know many of those towns I passed don’t even have a local doctor anymore, much less a hospital. Behind those mailboxes and gravel driveways are families who wrestle with limited healthcare access and insurance they can barely afford. For every tractor I saw in the field, I wondered how many had a spouse working off the farm solely so their family could have health coverage.
Those long hours reminded me exactly why the fight to secure MOFB’s ability to offer health plans was so personal. I’ve experienced the strain of healthcare challenges. I’ve felt the weight of limited options, and I’ve seen, mile after mile, how rural communities are stretched thin by a shortage of resources.
That drive didn’t just get me to a doctor; it reaffirmed why this work matters.
It’s a challenge facing communities and farm families across the country, but here in Missouri, we’ve worked hard to create new options. This summer, Governor Mike Kehoe signed legislation allowing MOFB to offer health plans as a benefit to our members. I’m proud to share that these plans will be available in 2026.
Members must be enrolled with MOFB for 30 days before applying for coverage, and, once approved, implementation will take at least another 30 days. That means the earliest anyone can be covered is February 1, 2026.
If your family has struggled to find affordable healthcare, I encourage you to visit your local MOFB office, become a member, and learn more about these plans and what MOFB can do for you. We took up this fight so that Missourians would have more options. These may not be right for you, but they are absolutely worth checking out.
