Former HHS Secretary Thompson Enters Presidential Race

Spring is in the air; and with spring a young— er, a man’s fancy turns to thoughts of the presidency.

Despite some desperately low poll numbers and almost no fundraising, Tommy Thompson – former HHS secretary and four-term governor of Wisconsin – is throwing his hat into the ring for the GOP’s nomination.  Thompson is convinced, as he told George Stephanopoulos on This Week, that all he needs to seal the deal is some relentless campaigning in Iowa.

Healthcare is liable to be a ticket-propelling issue for any candidate, Republican or Democrat, with an eye on the POTUS label.  On that topic, Thompson, Bush’s HHS secretary for almost four years, said that he favors pooling uninsured individuals, age 18 to 35, into a national group and then allowing the nation’s insurance companies to bid on them for different coverage options.

Those who can’t afford it, however, will have to be supplemented through Medicare and Medicaid, he said.