This was in the Senate Finance Committee today, but alas, not enough to get it through. The session is not finished, but it doesn’t look good for the public option. The vote was 13-10 against an amendment by Chuck Schumer. Bill Nelson, never having spoken for the public option, voted yes and was on the losing side, while two key senators did not vote for the public option –Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, and Olympia Snowe, Republican of Maine.
They already are targets of campaigns to put pressure on them. Check it out at Democracy for America and Act Blue.
Earlier today the Miami Herald had a story from Washington correspondent Lesley Clark quoting, among others, my fellow blogger Dave Patlak on why MoveOn has put pressure on Bill Nelson. You know, Senator, you could have avoided all this by taking a leadership role early in the process, and maybe you could have helped put the public option in the bill. Anyway, I’m just saying. And remembering.
UPDATE: Sen. Nelson had an essay in USA Today with his position on --- not the public option -- Medicare Advantage and other aspects of senior care.
2 comments:
My concern with this health care reform, as an Independent, is that it’s all over the place, there are not enough specifics and it must be put into writing and as if “written in stone” so that not every illegal that comes to the US will get free healthcare and those that work hard all their citizen life in US pay for every “Tom, Dick and Harry”
It was very encouraging to see Senator Nelson changing his previous position not supporting the Public Option.
His delaying tactics were only encouraging other Blue Dog Democrats to side with Republicans in trying to kill true reform.
Watching the Michael Putney show on Sunday, it is very clear that we have to clarify Nelson's comments on what the Bill intends to do as far as the Medicare Advantage programs is concerned. My understanding is that, the proposed change will not affect the benefits received now by those seniors in the Plan. What will be changed is the fact that private companies that now administer those plans, will no longer get a premium for doing so. This premium is big bucks: from 14-20% of the cost. We desperately need clarification on this point because, understandably, there are many seniors scared to death of loosing their benefits. Senator Nelson did not do much to clarify this point.
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