Reed Disappointed by Health Care Vote; Warns Against Slippery Slope to Single-Payer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congressional candidate Tom Reed is calling the U.S. House’s passage of the Senate’s so-called
healthcare reform bill “a great disappointment.” Reed has been outspoken in opposition to both the bill
and the process in which it is being forced on everyone. He warned that the passage of this bill is the
first step toward a complete government “hijacking” of the health care system.

“We all agree that everyone deserves access to quality health care,” Reed said. “The debate is how to
pay for it; we’re not reforming care, but how to structure and pay for health care. It’s private enterprise
vs. government control. A bipartisan bill could have been developed which addressed incremental
reforms that both sides agree upon such as prohibiting insurance rejection based on pre-existing
conditions and allowing interstate competition for health insurance,” Reed noted.

“We need a reasoned approach to larger reform that is based more on improving access to quality care
rather than on whatever was needed to buy votes, twist arms, and skew the accounting,” Reed
commented. “Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi chose to force a partisan bill on everyone which will create
even more government bureaucracy, new taxes, and begin the slide down the slippery slope to single
payer health care. We cannot afford this. We cannot let it happen.”

Last week Reed called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay the vote on accepting President
Obama’s healthcare plan until after special elections have been held to fill four vacant House seats
representing 2.5 million citizens. Reed’s request that those citizens, including those of the 29th District,
have a voice in this historic decision was not fulfilled.

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