WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Senate leadership prepares to introduce its health care legislation this week, Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., again denounced the Democrats’ reform plan, calling it a “maze of new bureaucracies, mandates, and tax hikes.”

In an op-ed article headlined “Perils of big-government power grab,” the ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee took the Democrats to task for proposing to expand Medicaid and CHIP programs while at the same time distributing hundreds of billions of dollars in insurance coverage subsidies.

“Growing the federal government’s power and influence over America’s healthcare system will ensure greater confusion for families and businesses,” Kline wrote.

Those that favor the Democrats’ plan and the creation of a so-called public option argue, however, that government involvement will help level the playing field and ultimately reduce costs.