Ben Nelson Does Not Support the Opt-Out

by: Chris Bowers

Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 12:00

The state opt-out provision is considered a possible way to get moderate Democrats to support a bill with a public option. However, the spokesman for Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, a key moderate, said Nelson opposes the idea of a national public option with an opt-out for the states.

In addition, the idea is opposed by Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, the only Republican to support any kind of health care proposal so far. Snowe's spokesman, John Gentzel, confirmed to CNN her opposition to the modified public option.

That is a little puzzling, given that on Tuesday Nelson said:

"Well, there are different kinds of public options.... What was interesting in the poll numbers that I saw, that while there's support for public option generally, generically, when you start talking about it specifically as it relates to states being able to opt out or opt in, have their own, the support overwhelmingly goes up to 76 percent."

So I guess Nelson opposes an idea that he thinks has 76% support. That wasn't even what the poll he cited actually question actually said, but it is what Nelson thinks it said. The question that got 76% actually read:

"What if this government-sponsored plan was run by state governments and was available only to people who did not have a choice of affordable private insurance?"

Maybe someone in his office told him that when opt-outs didn't have 76% support, he decided to oppose it.  Or, maybe he was actually just favoring the opt-ins. Or, maybe he just like rejecting compromise offers, and then demanding even further compromises.

Whatever it is, Nelson is back on the table as one of the main obstacles to a public option. After quite a few steps forward, here is another step backwards.