Reforming America’s health care system could be as consequential and historic as the creation of Social Security more than seven decades ago, said Congressman Tim Walz of Mankato.

With that in mind, Walz said he’s less anxious about getting a reform bill passed by the end of next week — a goal set by President Barack Obama — and more worried about making sure the legislation is well crafted.

“I’m concerned with getting this right,” the second-term Democrat said. “There’s nothing more important, I think, than getting health care reform right. ... This is going to be one of those generational opportunities.”

Obama’s desire is to get bills passed in the House and Senate before the August congressional recess, even though the bills will inevitably have substantial differences and a final compromise would need to be negotiated in the fall.

Walz said the urgency probably comes from the traditional political sense that major legislation must maintain its momentum to avoid being dragged down by opponents.

“I don’t think an issue like this is going to lose momentum (between now and the end of the year),” he said.

Still, Walz said there’s plenty of evidence that some Republicans see the issue as one that could cripple Obama’s presidency if it can be blocked, pointing to South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint’s comment that health care reform could be turned into “his Waterloo.”

Republicans have launched coordinated attacks on health care reform proposals from the Democratic-dominated Congress, calling the proposals “an experiment” being rushed through the legislative process that would lead to higher taxes, more bureaucracy and job losses. Supporters of reform are emphasizing the ever-rising costs of medical insurance, the millions of Americans who are without coverage and the potential savings for individuals and businesses if costs can be contained through reform.

“It’s very heated,” Walz said of the political battle.

Most members of Congress are more focused on the policy issues than the public relations battle, said Walz, who will be holding a series of conference calls today with people ranging from insurers to medical providers to the uninsured to retirees.

Walz, who believes Democratic lawmakers are getting closer to an acceptable reform bill, and Congressman John Kline, a Lakeville Republican who is highly critical of the initial Democratic bill, both say that reform is critical.

“Irrespective of partisan political views, we can all agree that Minnesotans and all Americans deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the health care their families need, when they need it, at a cost they can afford,” wrote Kline in a statement released after reviewing the Democratic proposal in the House Education and Labor Committee.

Kline, whose district includes Le Sueur County, said the bill costs too much — an estimated $1.3 trillion over 10 years according to the Congressional Budget Office. Kline also disagreed with the method for financing it, saying higher taxes on individuals earning more than $280,000 a year would hurt small-business owners.

“The proposed mountains of new mandates and taxes will cost America jobs at a time when it needs them most,” Kline wrote.

Walz said critics of reform proposals need to acknowledge the skyrocketing costs of the current health care system will decimate the economy while leaving more and more people without adequate health care. Despite Republican claims that they’re protecting small-business owners, Walz said most business owners in southern Minnesota are ready to support real reform.

“I think they know that we need reform,” he said. “I think they’re totally supportive of it.”

For Walz to be supportive, he wants a bill that controls rising medical costs so that insuring virtually all Americans doesn’t add to the national debt. The reform must also ensure that people with pre-existing medical conditions aren’t denied insurance. It needs to focus more on preventive care and reward medical providers who produce good health outcomes, rather than simply paying for procedures and medical tests.

And the bill must address disparities in Medicare payments between states that provide effective and cost-efficient care — and receive half as much per patient — and those states which don’t, he said.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Walz said of the reform bill that’s needed. “We have to get there.”