Ben Nelson (D-NE)... recipient of $600K from insurance industry... opposes Public Health Plan

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) Opposes Public Health Plan. His pockets are lined with gold from the Healthcare industry
By Nicole Belle Saturday May 02, 2009 6:30pm

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/sen-ben-nelson-d-ne-opposed-public-he



John Amato:

I posted on this already, but Nicole has found out that Ben Nelson takes a boat load of cash from the health care industry.

HuffPo:

Nelson's problem, he told CQ, is that the public plan would be too attractive and would hurt the private insurance plans. "At the end of the day, the public plan wins the game," Nelson said. Including a public option in a health plan, he said, was a "deal breaker."

Are you kidding me? Screw the American citizens and what's best for them...let's be worried about the poor for-profit healthcare companies? So much for that vaunted filibuster-proof majority. Nelson plans on gathering together some like-minded sell-outs Democrats to oppose any public health plan. Go to Open Secrets to find out who has donated money to Nelson last few years for his re-election and whaddya know? Blue Cross/Blue Shield is in the top 5 with $31K. In fact, Nelson received more than $230,000 from the healthcare industry in the last four years. Actually, HCAN lists more than $600,000 from the insurance industry to Nelson.

And so, Nelson has decided to bow to the wishes of his campaign contributors, instead of standing up for what 73% of the American public want: A choice of a public health insurance option.

In his opposition, Nelson can't even muster the courage to be honest about his motives. Instead, he parrots the latest right-wing talking point, that a public health insurance option will somehow undermine the employer-based health care system.

This point, of course, is ludicrous. How exactly would this undermining happen? Every person in America will be offered a choice. If they choose the public health insurance option, how exactly is anything being forced upon them? And if businesses choose the public health insurance option, again, how is that not a choice?

If you're of a mind to let Sen. Nelson know that his job is to represent the people of the United States, not the insurance companies, you can send him an email here. The phone numbers for his various offices are available here. Remember, you get further being polite.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. There's a word for that . . . .

prostitute?

[emilyg]

5. Perfect.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

11. WHAT? NEVER FORGET MUTUAL OF OMAHA

[HereSince1628]

2. This is how the Nebraska Insurance Federation speaks of itself

The Nebraska Insurance Federation (NIF) is an association of twenty-six
insurance companies, which are either headquartered in Nebraska or
have a significant regional presence in the state. The primary focus of NIF
is maintaining a positive business environment for the industry in the state.
A second focus is promoting careers in Actuarial Science and financial
services.

• Nebraska insurance industry spending supports more than 49,000
full-time, year-round equivalent jobs with a payroll of approximately
$1.5 billion.

• The insurance industry generates more than $270 million in state
and local taxes each year.

• Nebraska insurance industry spending adds an estimated $5.3
billion in sales each year for the state economy.

• The average yearly payroll per Nebraska insurance industry worker
is $10,000 more than the average non-insurance worker in the
state.

www.n-a-c.org/Scholarships/Files/NIF_description.PDF

[Occam Bandage]

3. $600k lifetime? Man, he's a cheap whore. nt

[patrice]

4. If the Public Health Insurance Option is NOT Single Payer, the Cost Efficiencies will NOT be enough

to compete with Private for Profit Insurance, because even though there will be other cost efficiencies in a Public Option (and it WILL, btw, be a VERY important question HOW those other cost efficiencies will be obtained!!!), providers will still have to maintain the costs of administering claims and payments.

Single Payer ALSO could provide enough cost efficiencies so as to allow expansion in the types of services provided, including PREVENTITIVE services, and a Public Option without Single Payer, having STILL to compete with Private for Profit on the SAME playing field will NOT be able to consider exapnsion of services UNLESS Private Insurance does and IF/when Private Insurance does do that, there is ALWAYS the question of HOW(!!!) they are obtaining the cost efficiences in order to expand services covered as long as they are ALSO carrying the extreme burden of the claims and payments processing mechanisms.

In short:

A Public Option without Single Payer is NO OPTION AT ALL.

[HughMoran]

6. Ben Nelson (R-NE)

There, I fixed it. :P

[rhett o rick]

7. I wish. He would be easier to unseat if he was an R. Being an incumbent D guarentees him

a pass thru the primaries.

We need an organization aimed at unseating DINO's.

[Canuckistanian]

8. I'm alway amazed at how little money it takes to manipulate Congress

600k? That's chump change to an Insurance company. They probably spend that much on stationery an office supplies.

But that 600k can stop a bill dead or get damaging amendments made to preserve the status quo.

And Nelson? He looks like a $5 hooker for taking it and being their chief spokesman.

GET. THE MONEY. OUT OF CAMPAIGN FINANCING.

[valerief]

9. Well, let's cancel his public health coverage. And his pension, too. nt

[Vinca]

10. It really pisses me off. How many of his constituents will die

for lack of healthcare because he's an asshole? Maybe some who lost their houses when he voted with the banks last week. Apparently the words "public" and "servant" have never crossed his mind.

[graywarrior]

12. Looks like I'll have to make another call to tell him what I think of him

This guy keeps me busy.

[DCKit]

13. Even if he is correct about it undermining employer supplied plans...

those plans keep a lot of people trapped in jobs they hate just so their families have continuous health coverage. Does he also approve of corporate slavery?

[tsuki]

14. For years, the Right has been spewing that private enterprise can

do everything SO MUCH BETTER & CHEAPER than the government. What changed?

[annabanana]

15. Well. . .If they CAN, it's become very clear that they never WILL..

They had a chance to make the corporate "work ethic" the national paradigm... and it fell flat on it's face, either from incompetence, corruption or greed or a combination of all three...

Hell's Bell's.. the ideologues has what they thought was going to be a blank slate to create a pure "free market" society in Iraq.. and we can all see how well THAT clusterf*ck turned out.

It's time for the people to take the reins back from these clowns...big time.

[tsuki]

16. Amen, Sister. nt