I know its needless to say but this runs contrary to decades of conservative dogma on universal healthcare. The old cannard used to be "they will force you into a European plan where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor." The new cannard seems to be "if we let you choose between the status quo and one of those European plans that stand between you and your doctor you will like it so much that you drop your private coverage." I certainly hope they put up an attack ad exposing this hypocrisy. And soon.

As I said over at MY's, old Nelson needs to give up his public health insurance.

As I said over at MY's, old Nelson needs to give up his public health insurance.

I have a feeling Mutual of Omaha will pony up, no questions asked, to make good the deficiency.

And Nebraska no less.

I'm from Nebraska, now living in Colorado. We moved my aging and sick parents from southwestern Nebraska a few years ago, and that gave them several more years of life. (I'm convinced they wouldn't have lasted another month there.)

The health care was abysmal. That's true in many areas of the country, but most people don't realize how bad it is in Nebraska. Most young people move away. The rapidly aging population has little access to a doctor, and often must travel long distances for one. Specialists sometimes have a circuit they travel to put them in town once a month. But, for instance, my Mom had to travel to Lincoln (250 miles) for testing of her coronary arteries.

Rural counties in Nebraska are very poor. Farming doesn't make any money any more except for the large corporations, and much of the population is too old and sick to work.

Ben Nelson stands for the insurance companies against the people of Nebraska.

Public option means Freedom, it means Choice for Consumers.

I thought of this years ago....and the Obama team realized it was the best way to tell Americans about what health care reform would mean.

How can conservatives fight freedom of choice for consumers? They lose big.

My teacher's retirement insurance has gone up each year for the last 7 years. Surprisingly, next year the premiums have no change. I don't think a little government competition would hurt anybody. Let the games begin.

Hey Bob, um, it's the insurance company's greed that got us into this mess. You're smarter than that, aren't ya?

I've noticed this argument popping up quite frequently. In the NYTimes article a month ago about "concerns" about the public option (they were nearly all "concerns" from the insurance industry and conservatives, of course), the running argument is essentially that government would be an "unfair" competitor, and insurance companies would go out of business.

There's virtually no argument from the insurance companies that they could find any niche like better service for higher cost. Other than the usual shrieking on right-wing media about wait lists and bureaucrats, the argument has largely been "pity the poor insurance companies, it's not fair!" Considering the massive unfairness they have been perpetrating on the rest of us for decades, it's pretty bizarre that they would think that would convince anyone.

If insurance companies actually took care of their sick clients instead of looking for ways to reject their claims and cancel their policies,they might have some chance in the upcoming debate.

Oh, sorry you forgot to tell us about that sore throat you had when you were three, so we won't be paying for your larynx cancer treatment.

I'm with Crab Nebula. Obama and his team need to craft this as a matter of freedom of choice. He needs to cram that message down the throats of the collective mass until the right and the Blue Dawgs have no choice but to say, "I am against Americans being able to choose their own doctors."

I also agree with sgwhiteinfla that this is yet another 180 the Republicans are doing on the issue of health care. They went from decrying no choice to decrying too much choice. Fine. Then let's take away health care for all of them and let them have to pay it on their own--for their families for the rest of their miserable lives.

Didn't I read somewhere that the insurance industry has given Nelson over 600K in the last cycle or two. One thing about Ben, when you buy him he stays bought.

I do find his honesty refreshing. The public be damned. He was elected to represent his insurance industry friends. A lot of our elected officials wouldn't be so candid.

My great dream is to get enough senators next time to be able to ignore this jackass.

Fuck this jerk. We need to hit him, HARD. And here's how we need to hit him:

"Senator Nelson supports allowing the insurance companies to determine where each and every one of his constituents can work. He opposes a public plan that would allow those who wish to go into business for themselves to secure health coverage that the private insurers refuse to make available for millions of Americans. Senator Nelson opposes the interests of every small business owner and employee in the country. Apparently he believes that the right of private insurers to make a profit while refusing to offer coverage to everyone is more important than your right to determine the course of your own career. Senator Nelson's stance is deeply undemocratic and stands in opposition to everything this nation stands for."

And blahdablahdablah. Full scale ass-peeling rhetoric is what's in order here. Though maybe we shouldn't call it rhetoric, because all those things I just listed? Those are the things he actually thinks are important - preserving profits for health insurers, even if it means you have no choice about where you're gonna work.

Any health care "reform" that focuses on maintaining the health of private insurance companies better die quickly. There is now a unique window of opportunity to enact meaningful reform, and the Democrats better not blow it.

So, ah, it is expected that the "big gov'ment" program--inefficiently run by incompetent (yuck!!)beauracrats--will be more attractive to consumers? Tarnation!!

Ben Nelson can relax - his fear is completely unfounded.

I thought everyone knew that the private sector is much more efficient than big, bad old government bureaucracy, so there is NO WAY a government plan would be more popular. People will obviously gravitate to the private plans that will provide the sort of flexibility, freedom of choice and excellent customer service that can only be provided by private sector companies, motivated to find innovation through competition in the market.

You know, just like we have now. ;-)

This would be the same Nelson who is also going to oppose Obama's plan of removing 3rd party BANKS from the Student Aid program so as to save money for students. This piece of shit is nothing more than yet another CORPORATE HEMMOROID. He should be forced to change parties .. cause he sure isn't a fucking Democrat ..

This is just payback for Obama getting rid of the student loan industry in Nebraska.

So, on Thursday, I had my annual physical, the first since the U (my health insurance is there, through my husband) has switched to a different plan/insurance company.

I already had one run-in with them, some 10 months ago, when they refused to cover the medication my doctor had prescribed and insisted I use something of their choice (they won). This time, I notice that the exam is much shorter than it used to be, skipping several steps, including pap smear. "No pap smear?" I ask. The doctor makes a face and says "these people cover it only once every 3yrs for people in your age group. Frankly, I think you can risk it, though I don't like it very much". The same for a couple of other things -- I can have it, but only on my own dime; the "plan" doesn't cover it.

When we were done, I said "as soon as the public option becomes reality, I'm switching over. Even if it costs the same and I get the same limits, I'd sooner that the profit went to giving someone else some health care than to a fat insurance CEO. And so I warn you, you'd better accept the public health plan". And he says: "You can be my first patient and welcome. We should have had it 15yrs ago, if only Hillary went about it differently. But I think Obama will manage to pull it off"

Damn straight, it's about being able to choose. Because, with the system we have, we're already hobbled by bureaucrats and I want to be able to choose my bureaucrats as well as my doctors.

Nelson has to go, he should realise he is there do do the work of the people, not the insurance companies who line his pockets. We must not let up on this.

It's important then, to use Nelson's argument against other (and especially, conservative) opponents of public health-care plans whose objection is that such plans would suck and not be appealing to the end users.

Nelson apparently doesn't want any plan that might really work and be effective if it means cutting the profits of big ins. companies. I can't believe he doesn't even try to hide the fact that he stands for the corporate elites over the people.

Make no mistake...these conservadems knew health care reform was coming so the formed the Senate Blue dogs to block it. 1st by trying to make sure it would not go by way of the reconciliation process so it could be filibustered and...2nd, to try to get enough conservadem votes to join with republicans to vote it down (they only need 11 dem votes).

These conservadems fail to concern themselves with the severity of push back that will surely come from the voting public for blocking such an important piece of legislation. Without a "public option" there is no health care ins. reform. We can count on billions being dropped by ins. lobbyists to block this measure because it's success will mean the end of their profiteering tyranny. No stops will be held back as the entire MSM will join with them for 24 hr/d propaganda to prevent a public option from being implemented.

They, like Nelson, know a public option will be popular, successful, and like Social Security will be one of the best pieces of legislation for the American people ever achieved. Standing against a plan like this plan should be enough to ensure these conservadems never hold office again...being exposed for bought and sold reps without integrity for all to see. (God I hope McCaskill doesn't fall for this Nelson suicide.)

The real deal is this: Nelson's biggest clients are student loan providers in NB. BHO is threatening to make life very difficult for those guys, and Nelson is trying to leverage his vote on healthcare into some concessions for his client. Standard stuff from a Dem moderate.

I think Steve is bein a bit harsh on Sen. Nelson. This is democracy in action, the man is simply representing his constituents - the insurance companies.

What?

You expect a United States Senator to actually care about the well-being of us livestock or something??

Gee, I wonder which private insurance provider he gets his insurance from?
Oh, never mind. Fucking hypocritical
POS.

Well, we know what industry comprises a hefty part of his campaign finances... If they or their "friends" are contributors, the authorities should be notified.

I suppose that there should be an investigation. Someone should contact the Inspector General of his blatant attempt to disrupt the peoples business for personal gain...

"At the end of the day, the public plan wins the game," Nelson said."

Wow. I mean, just WOW.

I had no idea Nelson really understood the score. AND he admitted it! How's the ice skating down there in hell, Senator?

I think there needs to be more discussion of what I understand the German option to be. Private health insurance, but non-profit only. I have a non-profit HMO and would be happy to continue with it, but my COBRA is running out and now that there's HIPAA, that's the only option -- no more switching to the same plan as an individual, which is what they used to allow before HIPAA.

Non-profit only, no pre-existing conditions, government alternative, and I am SO there.

Tell Nelson what you think of him. I did.

http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Come January 2011, with the seating of the new Congress, after we have won at least the 5 Senate seats John Cornyn thinks we will, it will be time to expell Ben Nelson and let him become the Republican scumsucker he's always been.

As I approach the "magic number" birthday (#65), I am inundated with all kinds of crap from private insurance companies wanting to be my new best friend. I shitcan all. I have the best government-run, single-payer insurance around, with a health care system that is light years better than anything the private sector can come up with.

The Veteran's Administration - where the records are already computerized so anyone treating me has full access to all info, and the system queries them when they presribe something that might conflict with what I am already using (as it did last week on my COPD). A system that is keeping close track of my PSA info (I'm in that "grey area" that could be just an elevate count or could be the onset or prostate cancer), geting me the tests I need when I need them, etc.

I'm personally in favor of shooting private health insurance company executives as the war criminals they are.

Private Health Care Restricts Choice.

The insurance propaganda machine continues to hide this fact. Insurance companies restrict the doctors you can see (through provider panels)and the medicine you can use (as pointed out in a post above).

Most egregiously they also decide when you are sick. If the condition you have does not meet their definition of "medical necessity", even with insurance, you are out of luck.

Finally, they cost more to administer (profit motive anyone) than comparable government provided insurance.

So, what is Ben Nelson talking about?

That motherfucker is as thick as a brick.