POSTED BY JULIE PEARCE

Getting a bill through the both the House and Senate is a time consuming process in our nation.

Those hoping for health care reform saw the ball roll a little forward this weekend when the house approved a reform bill.

One Minnesota congressman referenced a Northland family in his arguments.

"Last summer, I met with the Skare family in Cloquet. Their son was born with a congenital liver disease and required a liver transplant as a child. Today, he is 20 and the family is buried under a mountain of medical bills despite having health insurance," spoke Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar to the nation's lawmakers just hours before the House voted on Saturday night.

While campaigning for health care reform on the floor of the house representatives this weekend, Congressman Jim Oberstar of Minnesota mentioned Ethan Skare of Cloquet in his arguments.

Like the representative said, Ethan received a liver transplant back in 1991, "Since then, I've been taking meds and going in and out of hospitals and dealing with insurance companies and what not."

Ethan's father says the bills from all that medical care are staggering and cause as much trouble as his son's health problems, "In addition to dealing with physical issues and emotional issues we had to deal with financial issues by fighting for insurance and then with insurance companies once we were able to obtain coverage."

The house version of health care reform passed its vote by a five vote margin this weekend.

The Skare's were out of town and weren't able to see Ethan get mentioned in the debate.

By phone, though, the young man's mother told the News Center something needs to be done to improve America's health care system and this reform could ease the burden on her son.

The house version of the health care reform bill will now go to the senate.

An actual vote on the bill may take some time because the senate has several health care reform ideas of its own.