Gov. Sanford Praises Passage of Small Business Healthcare Bill

GOVERNOR THANKS HOUSE FOR PASSAGE OF BILL
AIMED AT IMPROVING SMALL BUSINESSES' ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE

Columbia, S.C. - January 29, 2008 - Gov. Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on the S.C. House's passage of S.588, a reform the governor called for in his State of the State address aimed at making it easier for small businesses to offer health insurance to their employees:

"First off, I want to thank the House for taking this important step toward helping small businesses compete and toward making healthcare more accessible to our state's workforce," Gov. Sanford said. "I'd also single out the National Federation of Independent Businesses and their members for their hard work on this bill, as well as Chairman Cato on the House side and Senators McConnell and Lourie on the Senate side. Giving the 97 percent of businesses in this state that are small businesses another tool to remain competitive in today's world is key to the notion of creating better soil conditions for companies to grow and compete. While there's no silver bullet when it comes to healthcare, this step could go a long way toward making insurance more affordable for a whole host of workers in this state - over half of who are employed by small businesses. I look forward to the House and Senate continuing to move quickly to get this bill to my desk."

"I think it's also worth noting that this is an example of the reforms we should be looking at as a first avenue for increasing healthcare availability in our state, rather than first looking to raise taxes," Gov. Sanford added.

The bill would allow small businesses to band together in order to purchase health insurance for their employees. Small businesses are currently saddled with over 30 mandates that, while well intentioned, make the health care they can offer less affordable.

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Joel Sawyer
Office of Gov. Mark Sanford
(803) 734-5254 - work
(803) 446-6713 - cell
(803) 734-6447 - fax