Washington, D.C. - Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) today commented on the Democratic version of heath care legislation introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this morning.

The 2000-page legislation, available at http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf, is expected to come before the full House for a vote as early as next week.

"For months I have insisted the House leadership allow the public a chance to see exactly what Congress is going to be voting on.  I have serious concerns with this bill as it does exactly what many of us feared: including job-killing tax increases, unfunded mandates, and cuts Medicare for our nation's seniors.  This is a government takeover of health care which will result in Washington bureaucrats coming between doctors and their patients.

"Instead we should be focusing on enacting genuine, patient-centered reform which cuts down on frivolous lawsuits and gives small businesses the freedom to join together to get health insurance at lower rates and to shop across states lines in order to find the best deal," Smith said.

Smith encourages residents of the Third District to leave their thoughts on the most recent health care plan through his website at http://www.adriansmith.house.gov/tellmeyourstory.