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Political Hotsheet 
Moderate Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson told a Nebraska newspaper on Thursday that a "government approach" to health care reform could cause the reform efforts to "implode."
The senator was talking about more than just a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or "public option," according to his spokesperson. Although, Nelson's spokesperson Jake Thompson did tell the Hotsheet that the public option passed in the House is too robust for Nelson to support.
In an interview with the Lincoln Star Journal, Nelson also said he is open to the idea of universal health care coverage "as long as it's an insurance solution rather than a political or governmental solution."
The senator's stated preference for a more incremental approach to health care reform follows a campaign from liberal activists to pressure him into supporting the public option -- the most contested "goverment solution" being offered in Congress. Nelson is one of the centrist senators whose position on the public option could make or break the proposal.
Nelson told the Star Journal he thinks there is room for consensus critical issues in health care reform, such as how to reduce costs. However, he told the paper he sees two very different potential endings to the current debate.
"One is we find areas we can agree upon and we begin to do things incrementally, taking more of an insurance approach, not a government approach," he said. "Or it implodes."
Nelson was not necessarily referring to the public option in that statement, Thompson told the Hotsheet on Friday.
"He's open to the idea of a public option as long as it doesn't seriously erode the coverage that 200 million Americans now have," Thompson said.
A common criticism of the public option is that private insurance companies may not be able to compete with it.
Though he is "open" to the idea, Thompson said Nelson is "certainly skeptical about what's been talked about in terms of a public option at this point... The robust public option that is envisioned in the House bill is not something he could support."
The senator is also open to the "trigger" plan that has gained recent attention, or to establishing nonprofit cooperatives in lieu of a public plan, Thompson said.
Along with the public option, Nelson is also wary of other elements of reform that involve governmental administration, Thompson said, such as the health insurance exchange that would be set up to give customers a "marketplace" from which to shop for different plans.
While Nelson has not been very specific about what proposals in the current health care bills he would or would not support, he has taken time to respond to the liberal pressure he's faced this summer. The senator aired his own television ad laying out his priorities for health care reform in response to the liberal ads targeting him. He did not, however, address his stance on the public option in that ad.
Nelson has made other comments recently that he wants to take a "super cautious" approach to reform, after hearing so much opposition to health care reform from residents of his state.
The senator told the Star Journal that the heated and sometimes hostile August town hall debates across the country may, in fact, have helped the legislative process.
"In a way, this may increase its chances of passage by making the plan more realistic," he said.
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care
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Centrist Dem Wary of Health Care "Government Approach"
(AP)
The senator was talking about more than just a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or "public option," according to his spokesperson. Although, Nelson's spokesperson Jake Thompson did tell the Hotsheet that the public option passed in the House is too robust for Nelson to support.
In an interview with the Lincoln Star Journal, Nelson also said he is open to the idea of universal health care coverage "as long as it's an insurance solution rather than a political or governmental solution."
The senator's stated preference for a more incremental approach to health care reform follows a campaign from liberal activists to pressure him into supporting the public option -- the most contested "goverment solution" being offered in Congress. Nelson is one of the centrist senators whose position on the public option could make or break the proposal.
Nelson told the Star Journal he thinks there is room for consensus critical issues in health care reform, such as how to reduce costs. However, he told the paper he sees two very different potential endings to the current debate.
"One is we find areas we can agree upon and we begin to do things incrementally, taking more of an insurance approach, not a government approach," he said. "Or it implodes."
Nelson was not necessarily referring to the public option in that statement, Thompson told the Hotsheet on Friday.
"He's open to the idea of a public option as long as it doesn't seriously erode the coverage that 200 million Americans now have," Thompson said.
A common criticism of the public option is that private insurance companies may not be able to compete with it.
Though he is "open" to the idea, Thompson said Nelson is "certainly skeptical about what's been talked about in terms of a public option at this point... The robust public option that is envisioned in the House bill is not something he could support."
The senator is also open to the "trigger" plan that has gained recent attention, or to establishing nonprofit cooperatives in lieu of a public plan, Thompson said.
Along with the public option, Nelson is also wary of other elements of reform that involve governmental administration, Thompson said, such as the health insurance exchange that would be set up to give customers a "marketplace" from which to shop for different plans.
While Nelson has not been very specific about what proposals in the current health care bills he would or would not support, he has taken time to respond to the liberal pressure he's faced this summer. The senator aired his own television ad laying out his priorities for health care reform in response to the liberal ads targeting him. He did not, however, address his stance on the public option in that ad.
Nelson has made other comments recently that he wants to take a "super cautious" approach to reform, after hearing so much opposition to health care reform from residents of his state.
The senator told the Star Journal that the heated and sometimes hostile August town hall debates across the country may, in fact, have helped the legislative process.
"In a way, this may increase its chances of passage by making the plan more realistic," he said.
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care
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I think you'll find this sentiment common amongst the majority of parasites in our country, certainly many Republican's "suprisingly" are all for TAXPAYER SUBSIDIZED private insurance to cover universal healthcare that doesn't promote major cost savings competition. That's what "free enterprise" is all about, socialization of profit for private individuals.
The "success" of American Democracy is to feed the cancer, not view it as a threat.
Anybody under the age of 30 who doesn't realize the importance of abandoning this country NOW, and letting this run it's course doesn't love America to the point of realizing that it needs to start COMPLETELY over with some REAL cancer preventative strategy and maintenance, deserves their fate. There are plenty of countries out there that respect the ideals of the U.S. Constitution and will respect you as a citizen of their democracy and economy and will give you a way better return on your taxpayer investment than MASSIVE DEBT to socialize the risk and losses of profit maximizing and the self-serving demands of a horde of baby boomer retirees and Republican hive-mind PARASITES. GET OUT while the gettings good. You have been warned.
Of the top 20 industries that contribute to Ben Nelson's political campaigns, the insurance industry takes 2nd place; 3rd place securities and investments; 4th place lobbyists; 5th place health professionals; and 7th place pharmaceuticals and health products. Over his political career, Ben Nelson has received $610,000 from the health sector and $ 739,000 from lobbyists.
His top 20 individual contributors include Amgen, Aetna, Healthsouth, Inc. IN addition, Nelson gets contributions from Altria, the nation's tobacco company, and his top political contributor is NelNet, which finances student loans.
These are the BIG reasons that Ben Nelson is blocking a public option. Every time you buy a private insurance policy, you are making a political campaign contribution to Ben Nelson. The same applies to students who are paying off student loans.
Basically Ben Nelson is a liar and a crook. If the people of Nebraska had any sense of decency, they'd fire the scum bag.
If so, NOW we know why! He's sounds like a staunch defender of the insurance industry's 'non-right' to charge usurious rates from the public on it's health care insurance AND doctors on their malpractice insurance!
And, he calls himself a 'moderate Democrat'? Oh, that's right! He switched over from a Republican a while back when he saw 'the winds of change coming'! He's a Democrat in name only (DINO)!
What do you think the Republicans privately acknowledge when they talk of cutting "entitlement spending"?
lolll...what are Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid - if not "entitlement spending"?
Don't you understand? The Republicans have been advocating "death panels" all along...for decades.
For what will happen to the people who are rejected - by some panel or other - for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid due to "entitlement spending cuts", if not death?
What do you think the Republicans privately acknowledge when they talk of cutting "entitlement spending"?
lolll...what are Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid - if not "entitlement spending"?
Don't you understand?
The Republicans have been advocating "death panels" all along...for decades.
For what will happen to the people who are rejected - by some panel or other - for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid due to "entitlement spending cuts", if not death?