Ben Nelson

The health care bill is in trouble, but a series of narrow deals — each designed to win over a wavering senator or key interest group — is alive and well, despite voter anger over the parochial horse-trading that marked the rush toward passage before Christmas.

With the exception of Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson’s “Cornhusker Kickback,” which alienated independent voters and came to symbolize an out-of-touch Washington, none of the other narrow provisions that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid inserted into the bill appear to be in any kind of danger as Democrats try to figure out the way ahead.

Not only that, House liberals want to reopen the labor deal struck just days before Democrats lost their 60-vote majority — not to dial it back but to provide more generous protections from the tax on Cadillac insurance plans.

“For those of us who, in principle, are opposed to it, this gives us another chance to push for our basic principle,” said Rep.  read more »

Sen. Ben Nelson, the Nebraska Democrat who played a pivotal role in helping the Senate pass its version of health care reform right before Christmas, said this week that the Obama administration should have delayed taking up the issue to spend more time tackling economic problems.

"I think it was a mistake to take health care on as opposed to continuing to spend the time on the economy," Nelson told the Fremont Tribune.

"I would have preferred not to be dealing with health care in the midst of everything else, and I think working on the economy would have been a wiser move," he told the newspaper.

Ever since Nelson provided Democrats with the crucial 60th vote to advance the Senate bill toward passage last month, he has been trying to explain his actions to his constituents -- a move that underscores the challenge Nelson faces in maintaining public support in a conservative state...

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) reached out Thursday evening to South Carolina GOP Attorney General Henry McMaster, the leader of a group of 13 Republican state attorneys general who are threatening to file suit against the Senate health care bill, and urged him to forgo any legal action, POLITICO has learned.

According to a copy of a memo sent by McMaster’s chief of staff to other GOP state attorneys general detailing the call, Nelson asked McMaster to “call off the dogs,” a reference to recent threats by the state AGs to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Medicaid provision in the bill that benefits Nebraska at the expense of other states.

Under the terms of a deal Nelson cut with Senate leaders to secure his crucial vote for the health care package, Nebraska would be exempted from having to pay for the coverage of its new Medicaid enrollees—leaving the federal government to pick up the tab.  read more »

A constitutional historian says American courts would have to overturn their last 80 years of jurisprudence to uphold the constitutionality of the healthcare bill in Congress.

Thirteen Republican attorneys general are threatening to file a lawsuit against the Democrats' healthcare bill if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) refuse to remove a provision being called the "Cornhusker Kickback" -- the nearly $100 million Medicaid deal Democratic Senator Ben Nelson secured for his home state of Nebraska. Ostensibly, the deal was in exchange for Nelson's vote -- the 60th of 60 needed -- favoring the legislation. As reported earlier, the senator's decision has angered many Nebraskans.

In a letter sent last week, the 13 attorneys general argue the provision is "constitutionally flawed" and violates the U.S. Constitution's protection against "arbitrary" legislation.  read more »

Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) is attempting to subdue the anger of pro-lifers who feel he betrayed them with his support for the Senate healthcare bill.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska)Senator Nelson aired a new television ad last night during the Nebraska-Arizona Holiday Bowl game in an attempt to justify casting the 60th vote in favor of the Senate healthcare bill. Nelson claims in the ad that he "took a commonsense approach to improve the bill," however the two-term senator alienated many of his past supporters who are pro-life when he supported legislation that allows taxpayer funding of abortion.

A Rasmussen poll earlier this week showed that Nelson would be defeated by 31 points in a potential 2010 Senate race with Republican Governor Dave Heineman.  read more »

Some Nebraskans are upset with Senator Ben Nelson over his change of heart on healthcare reform.

Senator Nelson (D-Nebraska) was considered the 60th vote Democrats needed to push the massive legislation through with provisions that would require taxpayers to pay for abortions. He agreed to vote in favor of cloture, leaving the early Monday morning vote 60-40 to proceed.

Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, contends the Democratic lawmaker sold out to pro-abortion forces in the Senate in exchange for several concessions -- among them permanent and full federal aid for this state's expanded Medicaid population...

Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, after securing a sweetheart deal for his state as part of the health insurance reform bill, said Tuesday that three other senators have told him they want to bargain for the same kind of special treatment.

"Three senators came up to me just now on the (Senate) floor, and said, 'Now we understand what you did. We'll be seeking this funding too'," Nelson said.

But the Democratic senator, who has faced a heap of criticism for appearing to trade his vote on health care for millions in federal Medicaid money, said he's considering asking that the Nebraska deal be stripped from the bill...

(CNSNews.com) - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is blasting the deal Democrats made with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) in exchange for Nelson’s vote to advance the health care bill.

In exchange for Nelson’s critical 60th vote to cut off debate early Monday morning, Sen. Harry Reid agreed that the federal government would pick up 100 percent of the tab for the planned Medicaid expansion in Nebraska – forever.

“Legally, I think other states can make a constitutional challenge,” Graham said in an appearance on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning...

Omaha, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska's Republican governor was concerned about expanded Medicaid costs in the proposed Senate health care bill, and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) says that’s what led to a compromise, in which the federal government will cover Nebraska’s estimated $45 million share over a decade.

Gov. Dave Heineman "contacted me and he said this is another unfunded federal mandate and it's going to stress the state budget, and I agreed with him," said the Nebraska Democrat on Sunday. Nelson himself served as Nebraska’s governor in the 1990s.

"I said to the leader (Sen. Harry Reid) and others that this is something that has to be fixed. I didn't participate in the way it was fixed."

But Heineman expressed anything but gratitude, saying he had nothing to do with the compromise and calling the overhaul bill "bad news for Nebraska and bad news for America"...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Should the Senate ultimately pass its pro-abortion health care bill at the end of the week, the next step for the measure will be a conference committee that will produce a final version of the legislation. When the House votes on it, pro-life Rep. Bart Stupak says not to expect him to compromise like Sen. Ben Nelson did.

Nelson has come under fire for compromising his position against the bill over its abortion funding and becoming what is expected to be the 60th vote for it.

Stupak, like Nelson, sponsored an authentic ban on abortion funding under the legislation, but his received House approval while Nelson's was defeated. Unlike Nelson, Stupak says he will "hold firm" on the ban...