Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)

Nelson believes the original message of insuring all the uninsured has changed and became lost in the debate.

He believes the costs of insurance premiums for the already insured are rising faster than wages. Nelson agrees with President Obama in the fact that he would like to see these costs decrease.

He plans on stressing “prevention and wellness, quality improvement in the delivery of health care.”

He will not support the raising of taxes, increasing the national deficit, rationed care or funded abortions.

The senator vows to listen to Nebraskans as he makes decisions by holding more town hall meetings and forums to hear the vast majority of opinions.

According to a released statement, Nelson pointed to the following issues that he would support in health care legislation:

Controlling costs

Private market systems

Employer-based systems

State-based regulation

Access portals (in order to compare different co-pays, costs, etc.)

Encouragement for healthful living and caring for chronic medical conditions

Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE)

Johanns believes that reform of the health care system is needed, but believes that the solution should be one that doesn’t create a larger deficit for Americans.

In a statement that the senator released, he stated that “expanding the government’s role by forcing unfunded Medicaid mandates on the states and sacrificing crucial Medicare funding is very much the wrong approach. Establishing a government-run option that drives private companies out of business is another bad idea.”

He believes that a large, government-run system would impact smaller, rural hospitals, such as many in Nebraska.

He supports a bill that adjusts Medicare rates for rural hospitals, keeping the focus on a large portion of his constituents.

Johanns believes that all the decisions should focus on quality care and consumer choice.

The senator has worked with the Senate finance committee and has attempted to keep the focus on costs of reform and he has said that the government needs to carefully analyze all options, instead of pushing legislation through.