Nelson: I Won’t Oppose Health Care Because Of Reconciliation

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One of the most unreliable Senate Democratic votes for health reform said on Friday that he is open to passing a bill through reconciliation as a last resort.

In an interview with KLIN radio in Nebraska, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said he would not vote against health care reform simply because party leadership was using a budgetary procedure that precludes filibusters to amend it. Rather, if he cast a vote against the legislation it would be on policy grounds alone, he said.

“I’m not going to use reconciliation as a principle to be against this,” Nelson said. “It’s my least favorite way to do something. It’s only after everything else fails, when there’s obstruction going on.”

“We’ll have to see what the final package is, and I’ll make a decision based on the final package,” Nelson offered earlier. “There are some things that they have put in now with federal oversight that would move away, from some degree, state regulation… And I don’t think the federal government needs to get much more involved in this when you have states that are capable of deciding what are adequate or excessive rates when it comes to health care premiums. There are other things. I don’t know what the final cost is. I worry that it’s now up to $950 billion. I’d like to see a final score, see what it is and make a decision then.”

Nelson: I Won’t Oppose Health Care Because Of Reconciliation.