Ben Nelson: No Health Care if No Change in Public Option and Abortion Funding

Yep, the worst thing for me would be to fund evil through government mandate and force. Of course our tax dollars go to bomb Muslims and lock Palestinians in their cages so why not continue the cruelty through abortion.

We should just take all of Congress off of their current health coverage & force them to buy private insurance from an agent like me. Then, the discussion might be a bit more realistic. I make at least one call per day now to tell someone that they are literally uninsurable unless they can find a job with benefits. In addition, I've had companies actually DENY healthy people policies because they hadn't had a recent preventative screening, like a colonoscopy. Those tests are over $1000 each. How can we mandate a test that is not paid for by insurance? So, if you don't have a $1000 handy, you just get declined? I can't believe what's beginning to happen with insurance and it will only get worse. We have not addressed the underlying problems with the cost of care and the drugs that are being overprescribed (that also make my prospective clients uninsurable - too many medications). Someone needs to come out here & see what it's really like. I'm sick of the talking heads on Capitol Hill . . . .

Abortion should not be the inflammatory issue that stops health care reform - we currently have laws about not funding them through federal money already. This is a smokescreen to just stop any sort of progress at all. Let's get back to the real discussion.

George,
I watch your Sunday morning show religious. We think you give overall views from both the dems and Reps.
We watched you show this morning 11/22/2009 and the House Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the most overbearing and ruddiest individual we have seen on your show. When she spoke she did not want to be interrupted. But, she would then interrupt and interject her dumb beliefs on everyone else trying to convey their point(s). OVERBEARING ...... Please remind m? Schultz the word is "SURE" and not "SHORE". Guess she has spent too much time listening to obama. The other individual that you have on your show is Sam Donaldson which is NOT a value added to the program.
Thanks,
Keep up the good work, George.

Ask any one of those GOP pundit legislators what their plan is for the 36-million uninsured and underinsured. Has anyone noticed that every time that question comes up the GOP types just sit there with that deer in the headlights look and say nothing?? Then they change the subject back to reform for those who need insurance. WHY???

It is because they have no plan for the uninsured and don't care either!!!

I'd like to ask that GOP legislator from Tennessee how she can sit there and smugly criticize a reform bill while so many in her own constituency have to pay (taxes) for her Cadillac Health Care Coverage while they are left out in the cold because according to the Princess from Tennessee, the United States cannot afford it?

Nice job letting the anti-reform folks filibuster the discussion. 3 opposed and 1 for? What is that about?

Whenever there is a major Democratic accomplishment, a palpable sense of disappointment exudes from This Week, and an air of picky negativity pervades the interviews.

Today we had a healthcare reform interview involving two anti-Republicans, one pro-Democrat, and one Democrat who probably wishes the whole thing would go away.

When I saw this lineup, fully worthy of Fox News, and noted that the demagogue Liz Cheney would be on, I decided to listen to the radio.

The republican panel members on todays shows just laugh on television about how wealthy the insurance lobbyist have become over the years on the backs of less economically successful americans. I want to get this new health law passed with public option. The American people need this.

Ben Nelson will cave again just like the others did last night and they will pass the healthcare bill. Do you actually think they will be on the wrong side of this history? I do agree that ALL our representatives need to be stripped of their current health care coverage now and be forced to go out and purchase private insurance. See how fast that would speed up this process!!

George,

When I first turned on your show this morning I heard them most hateful, shrill, angry baritone voice ever to come from your studio. When I first heard it I thought "why is Rachael Maddow on This Week?"

Then I saw it was the hyper-partisan & hyper-hateful Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz! This woman is by far one of the most radical and partisan people in Washington DC. Her presence really took away from the civility of the show.

Great show George, but in the future, please try to have serious and mature guests on that are willing to disucss the issues in a rational & civil manner. No more Debbie Wasserman Schultz types please! Thanks!

Lets See,
The House of our Lords aka House of Reps and now the Dukes of Shame aka Senate all ruled by the democrats thinks this health care reform is a wonderful thing for the all working legal Americans and the Americans should accept this without question and pay the bill. While the House of our Lords made themselves exempt from this wonderful Reform they are ramming down our throat and forcing the working Americans to buy their Personal Health Care Insurance??? Why have they exempted themselves? What is good for the goose must be good for the House of our Lords.
I find it interesting that the House of our Lords are above all the laws they pass and this includes murder, thief, tax evasion, drug use and growing, separate retirement plans, SS for their spouses (work or not) and the list goes on and on. Wake up America and vote these professional? bums out, if there is any honest elections left in America.

Those who are already used to grabbing ankles for the other guy might as well stay in that position for the health care bill. Reid's big-letter poster says the health care reform is already paid for, reduces short- and long-term debts, and promotes competition. These lies exceed any I've ever known in history. Thank you, America-who-voted-this-Obamanation, for voting in your destruction.

Supposedly Congress and the Senate are doing this bill for the American Healthcare system. Why if they care are they putting inflammatory issues in the bill. Hello People. This is about healthcare not abortion. Also, the pucblic option clause is a joke. So each state can now opt out. Wow this will really help the people who don't have healthcare. Are the Democrats crazy. Yes.

Amazing! They get to vote about continuing to talk about it.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander? Naw! This is America!

If this goes down in flames, which is looking more likely all the time, the Democrats can kiss 2010 goodbye.

I still think that there's an ignored issue in the health care debate, the benefits given to large companies by way of self-insurance, the ERISA plans.

Individuals and small businesses who attempt to self-insure will be penalized, but not big business. This continues to give big business an incentive to "youth-anize" their staff, in an effort to lower their health care costs, while it also continues to allow big business to shift large portions of the shared costs to individuals and small businesses.

Recently, in New York state, these self-insured companies were let off the hook for an extension to COBRA. At the very least, an ERISA plan should be treated as the same as other insurance plans in terms of responsibilities and privileges. In the health care reform bills, they should be treated as if they were a non-profit insurance company. Again, big business gets a break.

If everyone were required to actually buy insurance, premiums would decrease for all of us, offsetting any perceived rise in costs for big business. I really wish someone would just run the numbers on letting insurance companies handle the expense pool, instead of insulating large numbers of people from this.

Thanks; good show as always.

$300 million for a single democratic vote. Isn't our political system great!

Reid is front and center. Pelosi is behind the scenes as is Frank, Dodd, and Rangle. Love it!