Nelson defends Senate health bill, signals strong backing for reform - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

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By Jeffrey Young

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who withheld his support for the Senate-passed healthcare reform bill until practically the last minute, strongly hinted that he is prepared to back the final push to finish the job this spring.

"Doing nothing on healthcare reform might seem like a reasonable option to some, but in my opinion it’s not. Our nation’s healthcare crisis will only get worse the longer we delay," Nelson said at a conference hosted by the Federation of American Hospitals.

Nelson took aim at Republicans who have called for President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats to scrap the bills that passed the House and Senate last year and begin anew.

"There are those who’ve said, ‘Well, let’s start all over.’ Well, that’s a very appealing idea but for some, that’s code for doing nothing," Nelson said. "Some in Washington say we should do that, start all over with a clean piece of paper and now write a bipartisan health reform bill. Many who want that never started healthcare reform in the last decade. So saying, ‘Stop and start over again’ just means ‘Stop.' "
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