CONSULTANT RUNNING ROMNEY’S S.C. CAMPAIGN ALSO LOBBYING LEGISLATURE ON BEHALF OF MASSACHUSETTS-STYLE HEALTH CARE PROPOSAL
FITSNews – February 1, 2007 - Warren Tompkins, whose political consulting firm Tompkins, Thomson and Sullivan is running former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney‘s presidential campaign in South Carolina, is also lobbying legislative leaders on behalf of RomneyCare through his lobbying firm, Tompkins, Kinard & Associates.
“I’ve seen them slinking around the (State House) hallways,” said House Majority Leader Jimmy Merrill (R-Daniel Island). “I’m not sure that’s what they’re up to, but I’ve heard it is. Personally, I don’t think a Massachusetts-style health care plan is going to fly in South Carolina.”
Apparently, South Carolina’s small businesses don’t think it’s going to fly, either.
“Choice is the main thing our members want, not mandates” said Jim Brown, spokesman for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). “With each new government mandate, small businesses lose a little bit more flexibility in terms of coverage. They may want a Ford or a Chevy but they are being forced to buy a Cadillac.”
According to Brown, 94% of NFIB members in South Carolina said they support legislation that would allow small businesses to pool their health care resources by forming cooperatives that enhance their negotiating strength.
“We didn’t poll the Massachusetts question among our South Carolina members specifically, but based on the desire for choice and flexibility as opposed to government mandates, it is safe to say that is not the kind of solution that they would favor.”
Stateline.org has an in-depth article by reporter Daniel C. Vock published today on the current status of state health care plans in America.
Vock’s article lists twelve states that have either proposed or enacted universal health care plans.
The article also highlights how the Romney plan, which has yet to be enacted, is going to cost twice what the former Massachusetts governor said it would when he pushed it through the Bay State Legislature last April.
According to Vock’s article, “a study released this week showed the costs for families to buy baseline medical coverage could be nearly double what policymakers thought last year, when they decided all Bay State residents must get insurance by July 2007. The high price of coverage could undermine the landmark legislation or delay its effectiveness.”
Tompkins, Kinard & Associates were not immediately available to answer questions from FITSNews regarding their lobbying efforts on behalf of government-mandated health care in South Carolina.
