Florida's Senator Bill Nelson: "If a co-op serves the same purpose, what's the big deal?''

[flpoljunkie]

Excerpt: 'Public option' withers in plan for health care reform

By Alex Leary, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 16, 2009

"They have every incentive to hold the cost down and to make it as cheap and as stable and as available as possible," Nelson said. "That's a pretty good competitor to the private insurance companies."

But health care co-ops are largely unknown in the United States and could take a long time to get started.

"They've taken many, many years to develop into a significant size and weight to make a difference in terms of quality and value of health care," said William Peck, a physician and director of the Center for Health Policy at Washington University.

"This isn't to say they are a bad idea," Peck added, "but they aren't going to be a short-term solution by any means."

And Nelson's support of co-ops will likely not quiet Democratic critics who say his relative silence on the issue has been part of the problem in enacting meaningful reform. Nelson is a member of the Senate Finance Committee working on the new proposal but is not part of the "gang of six" that has been hammering out the details.

Activists have demonstrated outside his Florida offices and sent him petitions demanding a government-run plan. Nelson further irritated critics by telling a crowd in Daytona Beach recently that he favored an "incremental" approach to health care reform.

Nelson said most of the public option advocates "don't have a clue," about what it would take to create such a plan. "The whole thing is so complicated you can't expect them to understand."

"If a co-op serves the same purpose, what's the big deal?" Nelson added.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/public-o...

[BzaDem]

1. It depends. Would the co-op be national in scope? How much funding would it get?

It is certainly possible that a co-op can serve a similar purpose. But the problem is that the closer it gets to a public option, the less likely that the moderates who are opposed to a public option would support the co-ops.

[stray cat]

2. It has to be self-sustaining - no funding I think

[BzaDem]

4. I meant initial funding.

I think Baucus or Conrad proposed 6 billion in initial funding. You are right, of course, that over the long term it does have to be self-sustaining.

[flpoljunkie]

3. Am afraid it's not just the Republicans who represent the special interests first.

I expect Baucus' idea of a co-op would be for individual states. The problem with co-ops is they would lack provider networks and take many years to become successful. They are a recipe for failure, but I fear Wendell Potter is right--that the Baucus bill is a giveaway to insurance companies. He should know. I think he understands the health insurance business quite well.

[Vinca]

5. What's the difference between a giant co-op and a public option?

30% off the top to big insurance. These people are obsessed with protecting big insurance - to hell with the citizens who are suffering and dying every day.

[trayfoot]

6. My question ton Sen. Nelson would be:

IF there is no significant difference, then why not go with the Public Option?

[flpoljunkie]

7. An excellent question it is!

[CherokeeDem]

8. Bingo!

Very good question!! You know, he is a good guy, I got to meet him on several occasions when I lived in Florida and was active with the Party. His politics, however, are a bit too centrist for me.




Edited...forgot to spellcheck this.

[tsuki]

12. He is an asshat. He won't even talk to his constituents. nt

[ljm2002]

9. My question to Senator Nelson is this:

If the public option serves the same purpose, then what's the big deal FOR YOU?"

[flpoljunkie]

10. Another good question!

[JimWis]

16. Very, very well put ljm. Well said.

[tsuki]

11. Nelson knows what the Republicons did with the co-ops created

by Gov. Chiles. Talk about clueless.

[rucky]

13. We could ask him the same question. n/t

[BootinUp]

14. Oh yeah, its just too complicated. Florida needs to replace this BUM. nt

[Sebastian Doyle]

15. Apparently Asshat Nelson doesn't know how Blue Cro$$ started?

Or at least he's pretending not to know that. Actually, he'd probably be all for the idea of useless co-ops being created and eventually metastasizing into another corporate cancer.