Ben Nelson All Alone In Quest To Block Health Care Reform

Sen. Ben Nelson announced at the beginning of this month that he opposed the creation of a public health care plan that people would have the option to buy into. He'd be gathering together a coalition of like-minded senators to oppose the plan, the conservative Democrat from Nebraska promised.

More than two weeks later, it's still a coalition of one.

Since Nelson's announcement, eight moderate Democrats and one Republican have told the Huffington Post that they are open to a public health care option. Two others, Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.), have signed on to the idea.

Last week, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) said they were open to a public plan but undecided. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) said much the same in a letter to the advocacy group Health Care for America Now,

Add more names to the list of those open to a public option: Jon Tester (Mont.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Kay Hagan (N.C.) and Maria Cantwell (Wash.).

Because Democratic leaders have said they are willing to pass health care reform with a simple majority -- rather than the 60 votes needed for most Senate business -- fewer centrist senators are needed.

Those centrists are not entirely convinced, but they're not closed off to the idea.

"The devil's in the detail on all this stuff. My key is accessibility and affordability. Those are the two things, but I think everything should be on the table," said Tester.

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"I've been on Sen. Wyden's bill because I believe in a bipartisan discussion about how we can make reforms," said Cantwell, referring to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), whose bipartisan bill does not include a public option.

Cantwell hopes for a bipartisan deal, but is open to the kind of public option compromise Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has proposed. "I don't want to sign off on his proposal, but in general I'm not opposed to the concept of having a plan like that," she said.

"It's something that I'm still looking into right now," said Hagan. "I want to be sure we have affordability and accessibility, but I also want to be sure that competition's in play and that our insurers can continue to do business... I need to go back and actually research it."

"We're looking at that option to see if it's going to be competitive and, you know, if it's going to be productive. I'm still open minded," said Lincoln.

A Nelson spokesman said that Nelson is still talking to like-minded colleagues in hopes of building a coalition opposed to the public plan.

The following 21 Democratic senators have signed onto a letter to finance committee chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and health committee chair Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). Kennedy supports a public option; Baucus is open to one.

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
John D. (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Jim Webb (D-VA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Ted Kaufman (D-DE)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

Note to flaks: If your boss supports a public option and isn't on this list, let me know at [e-mail].

Comments

[ChristopherLib]

Someone tell me a way Ben Nelson is a Democrat. Just one issue. I remember every time Bush got a few Democratic votes on his bills one of them would always be the Senator from Nebraska. I'll trade the GOP him for one of Maine's two senators, both of whom are less right wing than Ben Nelson.

[chronic]

Why would he want to be a member of the loser repubs?

He can block healthcare with the winning team!

[solarian]

hey dummy you are in the wrong party should be republican

[frankath]

People who claim that the majority of citizens of countries with national health programs dislike them ARE DEAD WRONG!!! Sure,certain people will complain about anything and I'm sure that as in ANY human endeavor, individual mistakes are made. But if you think for one SINGLE second that the majority would want OUR healthcare system, you are simply and frankly outta your minds!!!!!!!! My aunt in Scotland, when told of my son's heart surgery as an infant, could NOT get it through her head that this treament was going to bankrupt my family, even though we thought we had fairly good insurance. She kept saying "YOU have to pay for it - even though he was BORN with the heat defect - YOU have to pay???" When told yes, she told me that THAT was barbaric! And that was 25+ years ago. Trust me, she's NO commie-pinko either, but lived through WWII and suffered valiantly like the rest of Britain during that awful time. Shorly after, Britain HAD her national health service for which they are very, very grateful! Don't be fooled by propaganda from the right and insurance companies. They are lying to you.

[frankath]

Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Three words.
Mutual of Omaha.
Get it?

[petphotos]

I am sure that he was bought and paid for a long time ago. Just another crook. Will Rogers was right.

[blueken]

If government run health care is such a bad idea, why are the insurance companies so scared? Are they afraid they won't be able to compete? Hey, self correcting free market. If the government provided health care is not as good as the private, people will choose the private plans and not use the government plan. Why so threatened. Do they know there is a tremendous amount of fat to be trimmed? The private health insurance comanies will do fine, if they go over to universal billing forms, negotiate with drug companies on price, and maybe do a little trimming on executive compensation.

[tarryd]

I agree completely. Time to stop tinkering around the edges and coming up with something so complicated, like the Medicare Drug Program that has been farmed out to private insurance companies, that no one understands it. Senator Nelson needs to go. He is fighting Obama on many fronts. Like Specter he is an old bull that is too used to wheeling and dealing instead of doing what is right for the little guy.

[jadeba]

As I understand it, a public option would ban denial based on pre existing conditions. We all know the insurance companies rely on this to deny coverage and it's a real money maker for them. Including a public option changes the playing field and the rules of the game. These new rules would make it virtually impossible to do "business as usual".

If they have to cover everyone, regardless of age and health, if you cannot deny coverage based on some long ago pre existing condition, they know their profits will sink and it's all about profit. They're scared because they'll have to play fair.

[jwredd]

They tried running the argument last week that a public plan would be too damaging to the private companies. I guess since there was no outcry of sympathy for those companies and their well being, they've gone back to the time tested method of scaring people.

[ECBA88]

That's the argument all the Senators are using who oppose this plan, they're saying a public option would mean "the end of the private health insurance industry." Gee, I guess all that federal government bureaucracy they've spent decades mocking the inneficiency of is a little scary.

[Dystopic]

I am glad that my Senator is Claire McCaskill...

[oldrwizr]

Me too. Now if we could only get rid of Bond.

[Dbos]

Washington still doesn't get it . times are

[pianoteacher]

I'm still not sure I get this Kay Hagan quote:

"I want to be sure we have affordability and accessibility, but I also want to be sure that competition's in play and that our insurers can continue to do business... I need to go back and actually research it."

So, a public plan should be affordable, but not TOO affordable, because these private companies have been charging way too much and this might hurt their ability to continue to do so... I don't get it.

Government of whom, again? Someone should seriously move to overturn that 19th-century "corporations are people too" ruling.

[The Ghost]

It would take a Constitutional revision:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Incorporation

[kathy001]

I think you summed it up quite well. The insurance companies have been lobbying their butts off against health care reform and Kay Hagan is obviously one of the ones that has caved to them.

[exoevolution]

Why is Nelson against single payer health-care?

It would be cheaper & guarantee coverage for ALL.

Why is Nelson against this?

[LazarusLong]

$2 million in contributions from health and insurance industries.

(see: http://www.campaignmoney.org/healthcare/nelson )

[LazarusLong]

At the risk of repeating myself...

When the House, Senate, Armed Forces and all other government agencies start buying their own insurance on the open "competitive" market, I'm willing to take single-payer off the table.

Until then, I want the same insurance options afforded to government employees.

[jwredd]

Don't you know, all those military poeple, politicians,policemen, and firemen are all socialists! Every last one of them. It must be a conspiracy.

[LazarusLong]

Yeah, I know. I was a true socialist when I was in the Navy.

(Wish I could've kept my health insurance. Now that I'm a capitalist, I had to get rid of my insurance when my company had to start shedding employees due to this economy. Ah, to be a socialist again but, alas, I am too old to re-join the military.)

[SMAckley]

Government employees are not covered by a public plan. They choose from among the plans offered under the Federal Employees Health Plans, which are all private insurance plans. There is a basic benefit plan which must be offered but their are richer benefit plans also. The premiums are heavily, but not entirely, subsidized. It's a common misconception that government employees are covered by a government plan. Only active duty military and veterans are covered by the government directly and even the active duty have private companies administering the benefits. Only the VA and Indian Health Service are anything like "socialized", with the government owning the facilities and employing the providers.

[jadeba]

Everyone, including those with insurance they want to keep, should be supporting a public option. A public option will result in lowered premium costs and better services. Insurance companies will be forced to compete in order to survive and that will be good for them, too. No one is proposing taking away private insurance - although, I'd like single payer.

I wrote Nelson about this - he's clearly on the wrong side of the issue and perhaps we can shame him into siding with the people and not the insurance industry.

[personalpolitical]

Ben Nelson needs to be upgraded. Primary please?

[ECBA88]

It's Nebraska. Until someone from around there tells me the general electorate would actually support someone noticeably to the left of Nelson, I'm not convinced a primary is the best option.

[Jaybot]

No Democratic Senator, with any electoral vulnerability, is going to stand publicly with Nelson. That's not to say he doesn't have plenty of allies in the party. Does anyone really think that "Health Care Reform" will amount to anything more than a change of window dressing?

[jadeba]

Without a public option, there will be no genuine change.

[jwredd]

How in the world can ANYBODY, dem or rep, be on the record as trying to "block health care reform" and expect to be re-elected ever again?

NOBODY thinks the current system is acceptable. Oh.... except for the insurance industry. Ben, don't you think enough people will connect those two dots eventually? What a putz...

[jadeba]

I never thought I'd see the day when elected officials would publicly support torture, poke fun at empathy and be against hate crimes legislation either. But there it is, look at the repug party. Dems have to get on board in support of the public option. Anything less is lip service.

[KCFreedom]

I say take away Nelson's free taxpayer-funded government socialized health care policy and see how much he likes that. Let him swim with the rest of us.

[jadeba]

Bingo!