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President Obama's health care bill passed the House this weekend, but with strong opposition from Republicans, and several Democrats. Two freshman Democratic congressmen from the area voted down the reform bill. Congressman John Adler from south central New Jersey was one of the 39 Democrats to vote no. He said the bill did not do enough to contain costs and make coverage affordable for families and small businesses. Another no vote came from Congressman Michael McMahon of Staten Island, whose district voted for Republican presidential candidate John McCain last year. McMahon said he thought the bill relied too heavily on cuts to Medicare. The House bill narrowly passed, by a vote of 220 to 215.

Now it is up to the Senate to pass their own version of the bill. New York's senior Senator Charles Schumer says it is going to take a lot of compromises. "Every one of the 60 Democrats is going to have to give a little. No one is going to get the exact bill that he or she would write on his or her own," says Schumer.

When asked about Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, now an Independent, and his threat to block any bill with a government-run health insurance plan, Schumer was conciliatory. He says Lieberman simply wants to contain spending, a goal Schumer shares. The Senate leadership still has to present a bill and hold floor debates, all of which may take the rest of the calendar year.