Gov. Sanford Praises Passage of Small Business Healthcare Bill 

GOVERNOR THANKS HOUSE AND SENATE FOR PASSAGE OF BILL AIMED AT IMPROVING SMALL BUSINESSES’ ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE

Columbia, S.C. - February 7, 2008 - Gov. Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on the final passage of S.588 -- a reform the governor called for in his State of the State address as part of his “First 30 Days Agenda” -- aimed at making it easier for small businesses to offer health insurance to their employees:

“As we’ve said before, while there’s no silver bullet when it comes to healthcare, this is another tool in helping make insurance more affordable for a whole host of workers and small businesses in our state,” Gov. Sanford said. “In an increasingly competitive environment for jobs and capital, it’s key that we continue to look toward reforms like this to create the soil conditions businesses need to grow and thrive in our state.”

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.