While it’s not technically insurance, the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is now offering a new health coverage plan designed to offer greater choice, flexibility, and affordability. The move by the typically agriculture-focused organization comes as healthcare premiums rise, impacting the wallets of local residents.
The new coverage was made possible through Senate Bill 2851, passed unanimously by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves in 2024. The legislation exempts nonprofit agricultural membership organizations, like Mississippi Farm Bureau, from insurance regulations.
Known as the Mississippi Farm Bureau Health Plan, with Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield serving as the administrator, those who sign up will receive 80-20 coverage, meaning the issuer will pay 80% of covered costs, while the user only pays 20% for medical care. Any healthcare provider that accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance will attend to patients under the new health plan.
According to officials, the Mississippi Farm Bureau Health Plan was created in response to ongoing demand for more affordable alternatives to traditional health insurance and is not limited to just those in the agriculture industry. Its arrival at the scene comes as Congress seems unlikely to extend the enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act by the end of the year, which is expected to cause hundreds of thousands of Mississippians to ditch their government-supported coverage due to expected cost hikes.
The Mississippi Farm Bureau Health Plan promises to deliver more affordable coverage than a typical provider, with deductible options ranging from $250 to $10,000, for healthy individuals between 6 months and 64 years of age. Unlike a traditional health insurance plan, the one being offered by Mississippi Farm Bureau will not adhere to Affordable Care Act guidelines, and there will be no open enrollment period, meaning policies will be written throughout the entire year.
“It’s going to be modeled a little differently [than insurance], but I think people will look at it and understand it a lot like what things looked like before the Affordable Care Act. With this plan, we can do something different,” Mississippi Farm Bureau President Mike McCormick said. “It’s not regulated by the Department of Insurance, so we are able to sell this plan year-round. We won’t stop at the end of open enrollment.”
Other offerings of this plan include predictable copays for primary care and, depending on the plan, specialist visits, prescription drug coverage, children’s preventive and essential wellness care, national provider access, and comprehensive protection.
“This plan is really filling a need out there. If you’re a farmer or a self-employed person or somebody who’s not getting a heavy subsidy from the government on the [Affordable Care Act] plans, if you fit into those categories, whether it be attorneys, accountants, whatever it is, you need to give a Farm Bureau agent a call,” Mississippi Farm Bureau Vice President of Sales Henry Hamill said. “We’re seeing savings of $500, $600, $700, $800, to $1,000 a month per family in many cases.”
Those who have pre-existing conditions like chronic illnesses or cancer, however, may not be approved for coverage, but Mississippi Farm Bureau has partnered with Ambetter Health to get people who don’t qualify for its plan coverage through another provider.
Mississippi Farm Bureau began introducing this plan to potential users on Nov. 1 of this year. According to Hamill, around 2,000 people have already been added for future coverage, which will begin at the start of 2026. Those interested in being covered by the new plan are encouraged to reach out to one of the nearly 300 Mississippi Farm Bureau agents statewide.