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Stacy Irwin wasn’t necessarily looking for a new health care benefits plan when she attended a Columbiana County Farm Bureau meeting earlier this year, but after chatting with Mike Boyert, who serves as northeast regional trustee on Ohio Farm Bureau’s state board, that quickly changed.

Boyert, who was attending the meeting to help increase Farm Bureau memberships, shared his own experiences and the value he’s found through his own membership to ignite Irwin’s interest in some of the member benefits — specifically the OFB Health Benefits Plan, a plan that offers potential savings for sole proprietors and employers in the agricultural economic sector.

Boyert shared how Farm Bureau was there for him when he and his wife began their business, Boyert’s Greenhouse and Farm in 1987, when they were trying to get what was then a 34-acre operation up and running in Medina, Ohio.

Today, Boyert has 47 employees, including his four children, and takes pride in treating all of his workers like family, and health benefits were no exception.

“Providing health benefits through a reputable organization is a good feeling as a business owner. You go to bed at night, you feel safe and you don’t have to worry,” Boyert said. “Being involved on the state board opened my eyes to look for value and bring it to our membership.”

The OFB Health Benefits Plan offers potential savings for Ohio farmers and small businesses with 1-50 employees.

“In our world today, trying to keep an employee around, especially in the agriculture industry, it’s tough,” Boyert said. “But, if you can give them one more thing, one more tool they can take home, it’s really a win-win for everybody.”

Igniting interest with value

After hearing positive feedback from Boyert, the Health Benefits Plan piqued Irwin’s interest as she and her husband, Gary, reviewed the benefit options for their employees, something they do annually. The Irwins own K&S Millwrights, a family-owned company that designs, builds and maintains feed mills, grain storage facilities, and on-farm grain management operations. The Irwins’ company has 27 employees.

“Our team at K&S includes single people, couples, and families, and every year Gary and I review our health benefits and choose a plan that provides the most benefit to our team,” said Irwin.

Irwin, a Columbiana County Farm Bureau board member, said she learned about the OFB Health Benefits Plan a few years ago, but didn’t realize at the time that it could benefit her as a business owner.

“Initially, I understood the plan to be for individuals or farm families who did not have off-farm employment or the opportunity to obtain health benefits from an employer,” Irwin said.

After reviewing the cost and coverage of the Ohio Farm Bureau health plan, the Irwins were both impressed at the affordability and the robust coverage that it offered. After looking at the comparison of the different plans and facing an increase in health care costs with their current plan, their next move became obvious – go with the Ohio Farm Bureau health plan.
Prior to switching to the OFB Health Benefits Plan, K&S Millwrights was using a plan that required the company to pay a monthly fee and belong to a particular Chamber of Commerce. By joining the OFB health plan, the company was able to reduce these costs.
As a nurse practitioner with experience in the health care industry, Irwin knows the importance of providing good health insurance coverage to employees. She believes that comprehensive coverage helps alleviate the stress associated with untreated medical issues due to cost.

“It is very important to Gary and I to provide our team and our own family with benefits that are affordable and offer comprehensive coverage,” said Irwin. “ I do not want our team to have to face the costs of health care coverage that could be avoided with a well-planned health care insurance option.”

The Irwins joined the plan May 1, and plan to renew in January, and so far they have had positive feedback from employees, and their own family has had positive experiences with the coverage as well.

According to Irwin, the OFB Health Benefits Plan has exceeded her expectations.

“I would encourage not only individual farm families to look at the OFB Health Benefits Plan, but also small businesses,” said Irwin. “As an employer of less than 50 people, we can run into roadblocks, and this was an opportunity for K&S to pass savings on to our employees.”