Monday, March 19, 2007

Nursing home industry has powerful grip on legislature

Seventeen years ago this month, without realizing a newspaper reporter was present, an Ohio lawmaker told a group of nursing-home owners that merit just doesn't matter much in dealing with the state legislature.

Big campaign contributions - and lots of them - matter much more, then-State Rep. Mike Fox told those gathered. And he dispensed some advice on working with the General Assembly:

"Reach deep . . . give early, give often," Fox told the nursing-home operators. "You can't afford not to."

No comments: