Florida Sen. Bill Nelson called the newest Senate health care proposal "a good starting place" as the Senate Finance Committee began to take up more than 500 amendments to the bill.
"I believe it needs to be massaged," he said. "And then let's see if we can get something, because after this long hot summer, where even violence got into the debate, it simply captures the passions, some political, some partisan, but some very substantive..
"What we want at the end of the day is health insurance that is available but that is also affordable," he said. He noted he's introducing an amendment (one of 14) to prevent seniors from cuts to Medicare Advantage benefits — even though he voted against creating the program in the first place.
"It is the law and many senior citizens have come to rely on that coverage," he said. "To suddenly whack it way from them, I think is unconscionable. You can't punish the seniors who signed up."
Some Democrats have targeted Nelson for not embracing a public option.He said at the hearing: "If we're able to achieve this goal of expanding health care to nearly all Americans, then we're going to have to do so and not take it out of the hide of the middle class or upending their coverage. And at the same time we can't lower the quality of health care to seniors…"
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