40 Square Cooperative Solutions Hosting Community Meetings to Reveal New Health Plan Options for Rural Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minn. (PRWEB) September 07, 2017 -- 40 Square Cooperative Solutions, a health care cooperative providing Minnesota farm families the control to manage their health care, today announced four upcoming community informational meetings in south central Minnesota that will allow farmers and agribusiness owners to learn more about joining the cooperative and obtaining health plan coverage through the organization. The community meetings will be held in Winthrop, Morgan, Le Sueur and Lake Crystal in the month of September.
Cooperative Network, the Minnesota and Wisconsin state trade association of cooperatives and United Farmers Cooperative (UFC), an agricultural supply cooperative based in Winthrop, Minn., are the founders of 40 Square. In 2009, 40 Square was created and registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State and the founders continued to advocate for new health insurance options in the following years. It is a stand-alone, separate organization from both Cooperative Network and UFC and will be owned by the members it serves. With the departure of multiple insurance carriers in rural Minnesota counties in 2016, the state legislature recognized the need for a new health plan solution for farm families, and 40 Square Cooperative Solutions came to full fruition in 2017.
“Trust, transparency, and ownership are what define 40 Square,” said Jeff Nielsen, President and CEO of UFC. “Being empowered as a cooperative gives rural Minnesotans the ability to govern not only the organization, but how they use their health plan. Our goal for the community meetings is to get information in the hands of farmers who are looking for a competitive health solution that meets their family’s needs.”
September’s community meetings will be held on the 19th, 21st, 26th and 28th at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in various locations. Meetings will take approximately an hour and no RSVP is needed. Interested farmers are asked to come for a presentation about 40 Square and bring their questions about the co-op. Additional meetings for the months of October, November and December are currently being planned throughout the state.
“Passage of Cooperative Network-led language to allow for the establishment of an agriculture cooperative health coverage option was one of our top priorities during the 2017 session,” said Cooperative Network Board Chairman, Curt Eischens. “We are grateful to all of our members, lawmakers, administration officials, staff, and other stakeholders who collaborated with us to advance this initiative throughout the entire legislative process.”
If individuals cannot attend the community meeting times, 40 Square encourages them to sign up for email updates at http://www.40square.coop.
Community Town Hall Meeting Dates:
Sept. 19, 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. – UFC Berdan Center, 705 E. 4th St., Winthrop
Sept. 21, 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. – Farmward Cooperative, 711 Front St., Morgan
Sept. 26, 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. – Genesis Growing Solutions, 901 N. 4th St., Le Sueur
Sept 28, 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. – Crystal Valley Cooperative, 721 W. Humphrey, Lake Crystal
About 40 Square Cooperative Solutions
40 Square is a health plan cooperative providing Minnesota farm families the control to manage their health care. Founded by Cooperative Network, the Minnesota and Wisconsin state trade association of cooperatives, and United Farmers Cooperative (UFC), an agricultural supply cooperative based in Winthrop, Minnesota, 40 Square has spent more than a decade advocating for rural Minnesotans. For more information visit http://www.40square.coop.
Colleen McGuire, Colleen McGuire Communications, +1 651-338-8822, [email protected]
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