After 13 hours of intense negotiations on Friday, Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat from Nebraska, said he’ll back the bill that would overhaul the nation’s health care system making him the 60th vote senate Democrats need to pass legislation.
“I will vote for health care reform because it will deliver relief from rising health care costs to Nebraska families, workers, rural communities and employers,” Nelson said in a statement released by his office. “On the floor of the Senate, in town hall meetings throughout our states, and in one-on-one meetings with our constituents, we have all heard heart-wrenching stories of people who are left behind, or forced into bankruptcy, or caught in the grip of a health care system that just doesn’t work as well as it should.”
Senate Democrats said they expect to vote on the bill, which faces unanimous Republican opposition, by Christmas day.
Nelson said he made the decision to back the bill after he won confessions to limit the availability of abortions in insurance sold in newly created exchanges. He also secured tens of millions of dollars in Medicaid funds for Nebraska, the state he represents.
“My values and principles have required me to fight hard to prevent tax dollars from being used to subsidize abortions,” Nelson said. “I believe we have accomplished that goal. I also fought hard to protect the right of states to regulate the kind of insurance that is offered, and to provide health insurance options in every state that do not provide coverage for abortion."
The health care bill would expand coverage to almost 94 percent of eligible Americans under age 65. The bill does not include illegal immigrants.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the next ten years and will cost $871 billion over the same time period.
