The House narrowly approved its version of the health care reform bill and Nevada's representatives voted down party lines on the legislation. Republican Dean Heller voted no. Democrats Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus both voted in favor of it. Congresswomen Titus and Berkley said it was a hard fought battle, with nearly unanimous Republican opposition and admitted that the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” still faces many hurdles in the Senate.

“I think the Senate will come back with a similar version. It won’t be exactly what we passed, but we should be able to work with it,” said Titus.  

“We have 460 thousand uninsured Nevadans and this is the first step for our citizens to have access to affordable health care,” Berkley added.

Both Berkley and Titus say there are specific pieces of the legislation that convinced them to vote in favor of the bill. "One of the big things is not allowing the insurance companies to discriminate if you have a pre-existing condition and allowing young people to remain in their family’s plan until the age of 27," Titus said.

 It was a crucial victory for house democrats that gave Dave Sivinski some hope. His policy was canceled after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, leaving him 84 thousand dollars in debt. "I see all the advantages insurance companies have had for years finally dissolving with the passage of this bill," he said.

The House version of the bill would require people to buy into an insurance plan, giving subsidies to those who can't afford it. But it would also impose fines on those who don't elect any coverage, and this is where most of the criticism kicks in.     

"They're saying you have to have health insurance. Now they're going to fine me if I don't and the IRS is going to come after me because I don't have insurance...I take issue with that," said David Hart, a local resident who opposes the bill.     

The Republican opposition says the plan will eliminate millions of jobs, add to the deficit and possibly affect people that do have coverage. But Berkley disagrees.    "If you have health care you keep it. But for the rest of the people, it's an important day in our country," Berkley added.  

Representatives Titus and Berkley also said that the senate will probably make some changes to the legislation and it won't be exactly what the house approved. But they'll certainly be willing to work with it. So for now, the fate of health care reform is in the hands of the Senate.