Ben Nelson Plans To Oppose Public Health Plan

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Friday that he will oppose legislation that would give people the option of a public health insurance plan. The move puts him on the opposite side of two-thirds of Americans.

A poll released this week by Consumer Reports National Research Center showed that 66 percent of Americans back the creation of a public health plan that would compete with private plans. Nelson, in comments made to CQ, joins the 16 percent of poll respondents who said they oppose the plan.

Nelson's problem, he told CQ, is that the public plan would be too attractive and would hurt the private insurance plans. "At the end of the day, the public plan wins the game," Nelson said. Including a public option in a health plan, he said, was a "deal breaker."

A Nelson spokesman didn't return a call for comment.

As he so often does, Nelson said, according to CQ, that he planned to form a "coalition of like-minded centrists opposed to the creation of a public plan, as a counterweight to Democrats pushing for it."

That coalition will not include 16 Democratic senators who signed a letter calling for a public plan earlier this week, including Senate leaders Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Charles Schumer (N.Y.).

If Democrats use the reconciliation process to pass health care reform, however, Nelson's vote would not be needed, as only a simple majority could pass the legislation.

Ryan Grim is the author of the forthcoming book This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America

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Comments

[Ish11]

Ben, it is your voter here in Nebraska..­.thanks buddie, you have just lost my vote...Is it 2010 yet?

[femonfire]

The first thing anyone should look at is how much money ol' Ben took from the insurance and pharm. industries - let's face one hand washes the other in politics.

Bottom line: Single payer is the most cost effective for the public - the lowest overhead and the best coverage. Every person in this country should have quality, affordable heath care and medications. But as long as the insurance lobby can buy our elected officials we don't stand a chance.

[Rosanneofpgh]

Why does ben nelson hate America???

[Zen0469]

Don't know where ol' Ben is going with this proposal. Let's have a vigorous debate and hear all sides of the question. When the debate is finally over, I expect Ben to support the ultimate proposal.

If not, I personally will take up a collection to buy Ben a muzzle.

[JSquercia]

Well at least he was honest about it . The public plan would be too good and would HURT the Insurance Companies . So Ben given a choice between helping the public and the Insurance Companies , YOU choose the Insurance Companies .
We can't have the great unwashed public getting good coverage THAT would be Unamerican . Better to have those wonderful For PROFIT Inurance copanies spending Health care dollars on High CEO salaries and Stockholder dividends than on ACTUAL Medical Care

[PhilipB]

You tell it! Thanks!

[drklassen]

So, does this mean Ben will be giving up his publicly paid for health care in favor of supporting the private sector?

[Diana Aspillera]

You took the words right out of my mouth! Isn't healthy competition part of capitalism?

[research]

But I thought Private Health insurance was BETTER?

Guess not huh?

[Malkin71]

Hey Ben.... F___ You, Buddy.

[indy100]

I'll second that.

[junkfood]

Sen. Nelson constantly sides with the banks, wall st., corporate america in general. Now he is rushing to the aid of the bloated insurance industry. With "democrats" like these.....

[Heady]

Ben Nelson is an inspiration to those without a brain. He and others like him prove that mindless buffoons who have a vocabulary pre-5th grade can make it far in life and can even make it on cable news talk shows!

[OneLiberalLady]

ANNUAL COMPENSATION OF HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY EXECUTIVES (2006 and 2007 figures):


• Ronald A. Williams, Chair/ CEO, Aetna Inc., $23,045,834
• H. Edward Hanway, Chair/ CEO, Cigna Corp, $30.16 million
• David B. Snow, Jr, Chair/ CEO, Medco Health, $21.76 million
• Michael B. MCallister, CEO, Humana Inc, $20.06 million
• Stephen J. Hemsley, CEO, UnitedHealth Group, $13,164,529
• Angela F. Braly, President/ CEO, Wellpoint, $9,094,771
• Dale B. Wolf, CEO, Coventry Health Care, $20.86 million
• Jay M. Gellert, President/ CEO, Health Net, $16.65 million
• William C. Van Faasen, Chairman, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, $3 million plus $16.4 million in retirement benefits
• Charlie Baker, President/ CEO, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, $1.5 million
• James Roosevelt, Jr., CEO, Tufts Associated Health Plans, $1.3 million
• Cleve L. Killingsworth, President/CEO Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, $3.6 million
• Raymond McCaskey, CEO, Health Care Service Corp (Blue Cross Blue Shield), $10.3 million
• Daniel P. McCartney, CEO, Healthcare Services Group, Inc, $ 1,061,513
• Daniel Loepp, CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, $1,657,555
• Todd S. Farha, CEO, WellCare Health Plans, $5,270,825
• Michael F. Neidorff, CEO, Centene Corp, $8,750,751
• Daniel Loepp, CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, $1,657,555
• Todd S. Farha, CEO, WellCare Health Plans, $5,270,825
• Michael F. Neidorff, CEO, Centene Corp, $8,750,751

[junkfood]

Thanks for the info. Obscene!

[awake108]

Don't forget the CEO of United Health Care made a billion dollar bonus a year or so ago,
when UHC wasn't doing very well at paying its bills. That is a billion dollars worth of care that people weren't getting. We need public health care. Lets get the for proffit out of health care.

[stell]

You can't convince me that it's just Republicans voting for this guy, or that is just "regional".

[RustyPatina]

We need to get some better democrats to replace these people who still haven't gotten the message of the last election!

[donburnstein]

Unfort7unately Sen Schumer didn't quite get the message "More and Better" Democrats. He read it as "any democrat will do".So we Democratic senators voting against the bankruptcy bill and health care. It's almost like they are voting against anything that will help relieve the suffering people have. One of them said "It's only 4-5% of the mortgages" out there that would be affected on the bankruptcy bill. Really? How does that square with 11,000 foreclosures a day or 341,000 foreclosures in March alone?

Now what will be interesting is if they use the same excuse for Health care. "It's only..ah..­.well...I get good health care so screw em". How in the heck do you answer a guy who says "a public insurance plan would hurt private insurers". ?

[katekid]

Dems can and should run him out of business.
He's been a negative attention seeking, out of touch dirt bag.

[cqyates]

Here are my questions for those opposed to a public option.

What are you going to do about exclusions for pre-existing conditions?

How are you going to get the insurance industry to value preventive treatments?

What are you going to do to make medicaid more accessible for the poor and to streamline the process so we aren't denying it because people can't jump through the paper work loops? (I've been through this and it is hell. Why do I qualify for medicaid in CA but not in GA?)

What are you going to do about people feeling forced to stay in their jobs to hold onto their health insurance? Isn't that pretty un-american?

What are you going to do about the shredding of Doctor/ Patient confidentiality? I personally don't even tell doctors about certain things for fear that it will end up in my medical record and used to deny me insurance in the future.

[letsbepeaceful]

Absolutely excellent questions. May I add one?

What about the young college graduates who are working at temp jobs or 2-3 part time jobs to make enough money to survive and pay their college loans. They can't afford personal insurance, especially if they have a preexisting condition even as simple as allergies or chronic sinusitis (too many prescriptions).

Also, re your 'forced to stay in their jobs' question: There are others who would spin off and start their own businesses if they didn't have to worry about health insurance for their family or potential employees.

[beckpod1]

Ben Nelson is history...­.bye bye you S.O.B.
Healthcare is the main problen that has our economy paralized. A country that has national healthcare and doesn't have private business in a financial bind....ca­n compete with the world. Everyone knows this! But those being breast-fed by lobbyist..­...can only see dollar signs!

[SurrealPumpkin]

Heaven Forfend that the private health insurance companies should take a hit for not doing their jobs! Good thing Senator Nelson, NE is watching out for them.