FLORENCE - Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia paid a visit to Carolinas Hospital System in Florence on Friday during a combined campaign and fundraising trip.

Allen, who has been mentioned as a likely Republican presidential candidate in the 2008 election, talked with department directors and the hospital’s board of trustees about health-care issues. He also visited patients in the hospital’s cardiac care center.

“One of the things I’ve learned is that you find out a lot more about issues by talking to people involved in the issue,” Allen said of his visit to the hospital.

Allen talked about his support for expanding health savings accounts as a way to provide affordable health care to uninsured citizens.

“I think it’s one of the best ideas that’s come along in years, and I’m for expanding it to include more people,” he said.

Allen also talked with the hospital’s staff about lawsuits and their effect on health-care costs. “It’s significantly affecting the ability of women to obtain ob-gyn services,” he said, “because ob-gyn doctors aren’t delivering babies anymore.”

Allen was in South Carolina to help raise campaign funds for Ralph Norman, a fellow Republican who is running against Rep. John Spratt for the U.S. House District 5 seat, and for Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. DeMint was with Allen during his tour of Carolinas Hospital.

Allen also spoke of the connection his wife, Susan, has to South Carolina. She has family in the Columbia area and graduated from the University of South Carolina.

Allen is one of several politicians whose names have been mentioned as possible candidates for the 2008 presidential race.

South Carolina’s early presidential primary has made the state popular campaign grounds for candidates thinking about a run.

This year, several Republican candidates have made stops in the Palmetto State to drum up support for their campaigns.

The 54-year-old Allen was elected to the Senate in 2001 after serving as Virginia’s governor for one term.