A Centrist View on Health Reform

I think most people believe that health reform should be done on a bipartisan basis, that ideally it should bear the imprint of neither ideological extreme, but rather come from a sensible political center with which most Americans will feel comfortable.  Senate leaders on this issue like Max Baucus (D-MT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on the Senate Finance Committee and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) on the Senate Health Energy Labor and Pensions Committee deserve a lot of credit for striving toward bipartisanship on such a challenging issue.

With that in mind, I think Senator Ben Nelson’s (D-NE) health principles are well worth reading.  The Nebraska Senator has issued a set of policy ideas that, I believe, could draw strong support from both party caucuses.  He places a strong emphasis on wellness and better care coordination among health providers, and he stands strongly behind a guarantee of health coverage for all Americans, with “a transition away from charging higher premiums for those who are most ill.”

I respect the Senator a great deal, as well, for the candor he shows in stating that he’s generally averse to mandates, but sees the need for an individual mandate if we’re to have healthy Americans in the insurance pool so that coverage can be affordable for all.

Senator Nelson has been quoted as saying, “I believe meaningful healthcare reform is within reach and Congress must find a middle ground to improve care by lowering cost and expanding access….I encourage my colleagues to embrace bipartisanship and reason.”