Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., called on his  Republican colleagues in the Senate Thursday to work with him to “avert efforts to pass health reform legislation using the truncated reconciliation process.” 

 “If Republican colleagues are serious about fixing our health care system and want to avoid using the reconciliation process, then I will go to the negotiating table with them,”  Nelson said. “If Republican senators join me at the table, we can use bipartisanship for health reform rather than use reconciliation, which needs only 50 votes to approve legislation.”

 Nelson said all it takes is one Republican to come forward, put partisanship aside, and work on behalf of those that do not have or cannot afford health insurance.

“Working together, we can fight to ensure health reform relies on our private market system, rather than the government to reduce the cost of health care and deliver better care for millions of Americans,” Nelson said.

Nelson said reconciliation has never been his preference for moving legislation.

“Instead, I always prefer the regular order process that allows full and open debate, many amendments and an opportunity for broad bipartisanship,” he said. ”That can be achieved, if Republican colleagues come to the negotiating table with their ideas and proposals.”

Obama, in his State of the Union address Wednesday, urged Republicans and Democrats to take another look at the health reform plan he’s proposed, which he called an improvement over the status quo, according to Nelson.

In his State of the Union address, Obama said “…if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know.”

Obama asked of Congress not walk away from reform, but “… help us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.”

Johanns, who opposes reconciliation to pass health care reform, said earlier this week that the Senate must have an open debate and not rush this legislation.

“Several Senators from both sides of the aisle have spoken out against using reconciliation, and I urge the Administration and Democrats in the Senate to take leadership and do the same thing,” Johanns said.