IN senators react to health care reform

Health Care reform cleared a major hurdle over the weekend. Saturday night, the House passed the bill , 220 to 215 with just one Republican voting in favor of it.

Despite that approval, Health Care reform is still far from a done deal. The bill is now on to the Senate, where it appears to be on shaky ground.

"The House Bill is dead on arrival in the Senate," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) from South Carolina.

The bill comes at a lofty price tag of $1.2 Trillion over ten years, and would offer coverage to 36 million uninsured.

To pay for that, cuts would be made to Medicare and Medicaid, to the tune of $400 billion over a decade.

Also, those making $500,000 a year would pay more in taxes.

The bill is far from a quick read for lawmakers. It comes in at nearly 2,000 pages.

Indiana Senators Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar could vote on the bill before the end of the year. While neither has a firm stance yet, Senator Lugar feels the current proposal is too expensive.

"To have a comprehensive plan of this variety, regardless of its merits, is going to cost a great deal more than this country can afford at the moment," Sen. Lugar said.

Senator Lugar also feels now isn't the time to push the bill through the Senate.

"I think it ought to be postponed. I don't think it should be defeated, but I think it should be postponed until a more timely opportunity when we have jobs and a recovery of our economy," Senator Lugar said.

Meanwhile, Senator Bayh says he wants to hear from constituents before moving forward.

"I am just adamant that this be on the internet for 72 hours, it be out there so people can read it, they can understand, they can let me and others know what they think," Sen. Bayh said.

The President is pushing for the Senate to approve the bill by the end of the year.

Opponents of the proposal, meanwhile, say the measure will cost jobs, raise insurance rates and lead to huge tax increases.

All Senate Democrats would have to vote in favor of the bill to get a majority.

Meanwhile, a Bloomington restaurant owner said she is organizing a campaign to challenge Senator Bayh for the Democratic nomination next year.

Tamyra d'Ippolito said she wants to be a proponent for the poor and that she wasn't pleased with Bayh's stance on health care reform.

She said she's a colon cancer survivor and has been without health and dental insurance since opening Ragazzi Arte Cafe five years ago.

The 50-year-old d'Ippolito was campaign chairwoman for Gretchen Clearwater, who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Baron Hill in last year's Democratic primary.

She said she's organizing volunteers to collect the 4,500 petition signatures she needs to have her name included on the May primary ballot.

More on wane.com:  Local Reps. weigh in on Health Care Reform bill.