Ben Nelson: Govt. Health Care Works Better, Therefore I Must Oppose It

[Cowpunk]

Congressional Quarterly(subscription only) reports:

Sen. Ben Nelson said Thursday that he will oppose the creation of a government-run health insurance plan as part of a health care overhaul, contrary to the position held by many of his fellow Democrats.

Nelson, D-Neb., said he may try to assemble a coalition of like-minded centrists opposed to the creation of a public plan, as a counterweight to Democrats pushing for it. He said he does not believe a majority of the Senate supports the idea.

…

But Nelson sides with opponents, who say a government-run plan would undermine the nation’s existing system of employer-sponsored health insurance.

Republicans, insurers and business groups say private insurers could not compete with a government-run plan, which presumably wouldn’t have to spend money on activities such as marketing or developing networks of participating physicians and hospitals. Eventually, opponents say, most consumers would join the public plan, either because its prices are lower or because their employers stop offering insurance.

“At the end of the day, the public plan wins the game,” Nelson said. He called the inclusion of a public plan in legislation a “deal-breaker” for him.

Unfuckingbelieveable. God forbid the American people should get what they want, no, what they desparately need-affordable health care. Who cares if healthcare costs are killing small businesses and the competitiveness of American companies on the world market. Insurance companies(some of his biggest backers) might take a hit, and we can't have that.

This healthcare issue is very personal to me, as I'm sure it is to many of you. I've been putting off a visit to the doctor for months now because I'm pretty sure I'll need surgery to correct my nasal problem and I can't afford my insurance deductible. It's not a debilitating problem, so I wait for a better day to come.

For years I've been warning my fellow Nebraskans that Nelson only cares about one thing-the reelection of Ben Nelson. I've had it with this self-serving swine of a Senator. Fuck him and the BCBS cash he rode in on!

Tip o' the hat to HuffPo and The NOW Blog.