Cooper Pitches Health Plan to Perot : Legislation: The Tennessee politician tells United We Stand that his model will involve less cost, bureaucracy than Clinton’s proposal.

Seeking to add to the momentum behind his model for health care reform, Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) on Saturday told followers of Ross Perot that his plan will offer nearly as many benefits as President Clinton’s proposal, but with less cost and with less bureaucratic control.

He also called his proposal “the best starting point to achieve national consensus on this complex issue.”

Cooper’s appearance, which was warmly received by leaders of the Perot-sponsored organization, United We Stand, America, Inc. came hard on the heels of his plan’s endorsement by the Business Roundtable, which represents approximately 200 of the nation’s largest companies.

While no specific endorsement was sought nor made, Cooper seemed to have made a strong impression on Perot. The Texas billionaire vaulted to the stage after Cooper had finished his talk to praise his “street-smart common sense” and his willingness to challenge Clinton.

Cooper’s 20-minute luncheon speech appeared to appeal to the group’s acknowledged mistrust of the federal government.

While pointing out that his proposal was similar to Clinton’s in that both relied on “managed competition” to hold down costs, the congressman said the two plans differed significantly in their view of government.

“Generally speaking, the White House favors a big-government approach,” Cooper said. “Our bill tries to keep government to an absolute minimum.”

Cooper also said that his bill, unlike the President’s proposal, would not require employers to provide insurance coverage for their workers, which Clinton views as an important component in reaching his goal of providing universal health care coverage for all Americans.

Cooper claimed that his “user-friendly” plan would achieve that goal without the mandated coverage.

“There is no reason why everyone won’t be covered with these reforms” by 1998, the target date set by Clinton, he said.

Cooper also stressed his claim that his plan would bring added tax benefits to workers in return for reducing the tax deductions that corporations can take for providing health insurance to workers.

The cut in these deductions, along with Medicare cuts of $40 billion over five years, would help pay much of the cost of Cooper’s plan.

Under current law, as Cooper pointed out, only corporations can fully deduct the cost of health coverage. Unlike the Clinton plan, which would give that benefit to the self-employed but not to employees, Cooper would allow the average wage-earner to deduct the cost of a basic health plan from his taxes.

Cooper, who is running for the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Al Gore in Tennessee, was given an ovation for the pledge he made two years ago not to take campaign contributions from political action committees.

But Citizen Action, a Washington-based consumer group, claims that Cooper received $365,000 in large-donor contributions from individuals affiliated with the health care industry, or 27% of his total of $1.3 million in large-donor contributions.

“Clearly Rep. Jim Cooper’s legislation will benefit the very interests from whom he receives so much money,” said Michael Podhorzer, Citizen Action campaigns director.

Cooper’s own campaign claims that out of $1.791 million in contributions received in 1993, only $320,000, or 17%, came from people linked to the health care industry, according to Murfy Alexander, his press secretary.

Alexander said Cooper rejects PAC contributions because PACs usually have “a single agenda,” while individuals have “much broader reasons” for making contributions.