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Source: Omaha World Herald
Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., was among 16 moderate Democratic senators and one independent invited to discuss health care legislation with President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday.
It’s clear, though, that it will take more than an invitation to the White House to get Nelson on board with Obama’s plans.
The senator continued to maintain Thursday that he wants to see all of the details of any legislation before signing on.
A key point of the discussion was the cost of Obama’s health care proposals.
“To win my support, the plan will have to convince me that the numbers add up, that we don’t increase the deficit and that it reduces the growing cost of health care,” Nelson said Thursday.
During the meeting, the president reiterated the case for health care legislation and for why he believes a public option is important, Nelson spokesman Jake Thompson said.
Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., continued Thursday to question key aspects of Obama’s proposals but said that there is consensus in areas such as pre-existing conditions, expanding wellness and prevention programs and increasing opportunities for small businesses to band together.
But Johanns specifically cited the White House’s Thursday meeting with senators and criticized the lack of Republicans on the guest list. The one senator who attended the meeting who wasn’t a Democrat was Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.
“I don’t understand why (Obama) is trying to send a signal of being bipartisan when the only invitations extended to date have been really to Democrats and a few other people,” Johanns said. “I’m hoping that he rethinks what he’s doing and really makes this a bipartisan process.”
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