As I write this, the House of Representatives is in the process of drafting healthcare reform legislation that will have a significant impact on the cost and availability of health in this country. It is a monumental task, and one that I am honored to be a part of. As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, I am in on the ground floor of this legislation. There is a wide consensus from across the political spectrum that our current system is broken. It is unsustainable. It continues to consume more and more of our incomes and our tax dollars. I hear horror stories from my constituents every day about their inability to afford insurance or being denied altogether for a preexisting condition. We have an obligation to fix this system before it collapses under its own weight. But as we work to repair the system, we must be careful not to fix what isn't broken. I want to make sure that if you have an insurance plan you like, you get to keep it. As with any major policy change, we must be careful to do this right. I have some serious concerns about the draft proposal as it stands now, and I am working with a diverse group of members on the committee to ensure that this bill protects patients, healthcare providers, and hospitals. One of the first things that we must do is protect our rural hospitals in the 18th Congressional District. They are the heart and soul of our healthcare network, a centerpiece of our communities, and provide much-needed assistance to our families in our greatest time of need. Without them, our citizens would have to drive great distances for even emergency care. The bill, as it stands now, does not do enough to make sure hospitals are able to stay afloat, and I am concerned about their continued existence and service to our communities if the current bill were to pass. Secondly, this bill must do more to protect small businesses. As a major source of jobs in our district, small businesses are the manifestation of the American entrepreneurial spirit. They are a major economic engine, and we must do everything we can to protect them from overly burdensome requirements. The legislation currently does not provide adequate protections for our small businesses. With job losses everywhere, we cannot afford to put an additional strain on employers.Finally, I am concerned about the lack of efforts to contain cost in the healthcare system. I don't have to tell you that there are billions of dollars in gross inefficiencies within the current system. The potential savings we could see from changing these practices are mindboggling. We must take courageous steps to rein in these costs or we will never be able to provide relief for our working families. I am working tirelessly to improve the bill as much as possible because this reform is simply too important to get wrong.