GOP Raps Federal Control of Health Care`

Houston Republican Congressman John Culberson stated that, "Once the democratic health reform bill passes, those great institutions will be run by the federal government, and they'll be controlled by the federal government, and the government will control of who gets paid, how much they get paid and whether or not you get the procedure."

In Washington, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi hopes to have the legislation on the house floor for a vote on Saturday. There is no timetable in the Senate. Tuesday's election results gave no indication of the challenge facing Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The democrats' proposal would create a fallback government -run insurance plan to help cover approximately 47 million uninsured. Republicans would rely on insurance reforms to expand coverage.

In Houston, Republican congressmen claimed that institutions such as the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the U.T. Medical Center would suffer the brunt of a federally controlled medical system.

11/5/09 Houston

WHL