WASHINGTON – Rep. Walt Minnick, D-Idaho, has already said it's unlikely he'll support the health care bill about to come before the House, but he reiterated his stance Thursday.

"I would vote for responsible legislation," Minnick said. "But the bill I think we’re going to be voting on, I have indicated I can’t support."

It’s too big, Minnick said, and he doesn’t think it does enough to reduce the cost of health care.

"The real problem is cost," he said. "And this is a bill that is too expensive, it’s not paid for, and it doesn’t do enough to control cost."

He said he "would look forward to an opportunity to support a bill that is in fact paid for and does have meaningful cost control in it." He said it also gives him pause that no House Republicans are likely to vote for the legislation, which could come before the House late next week.

"I want health care reform passed on a bipartisan basis," said Minnick, who was one of 39 Democrats to vote against the original bill late last year. "The fact there is no Republican support for this bill I think is very troubling because good ideas come from both parties."

So far, Minnick hasn’t been strong-armed by the House Democratic leaders, who are looking for every Democratic vote they can muster on the bill. They’re gong to have to pass it over the objections of Republicans – as well as many anti-abortion Democrats who object to language in the Senate bill. Those Democrats believe the bill doesn’t do enough to restrict taxpayer money from going toward abortions.

"I haven’t been individually lobbied by important people yet," Minnick said. "I suspect that I will be as the vote gets closer. But I’m reasonably set in my ways. I’ve looked at it and I’m not going to be persuaded to vote for the existing legislation. It’s going to take substantial changes in the bill before I think I could vote for it. And I don’t envision that happening."

Both of Idaho’s Republican senators, Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, voted against the health care bill in the Senate last year. Republican Rep. Mike Simpson voted against it, too, and is likely to do so again.