The health care reform legislation President Obama wants so badly is now halfway to his desk.

Over the weekend, the US House of Representatives approved its version of the bill.

But the vote was extremely close - 220 to 215.

The US Senate now has to pass the bill in order for the President to sign it into law.

But some key senators are threatening to vote against it.

"As a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote," said Independent US Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, in an interview with Fox News.

Lieberman is strongly opposed to the House bill because it includes what's being called a "public option."

The "public option" means that people who can't get health insurance any other way would be able to get it from the US government.

Lieberman says that would cause huge budget deficits - meaning it would be way more expensive than the government can afford.

But many Democrats feel just as strongly that the "public option" needs to be part of the final version of the legislation.

Right now, the bill would allow 36 million Americans who don't have health insurance to get it at an affordable price - including millions of families with kids.

When people don't have health insurance, it's more expensive to see the doctor.

That's because your insurance is supposed to cover all or part of your medical bills.

So people who don't have health insurance might be more likely to wait until they - or their kids -- have an emergency to get medical help.

And by then, it might be too late.

The legislation passed by the House also includes a provision that says an insurance company cannot deny you insurance if you've had health problems in the past.

And insurance companies would not be allowed to drop you when you get sick.

(Why do insurance companies do those things? Sick people cost insurance companies more money, because insurance companies wind up paying out more to cover the cost of all the treatment for a sick person.)

If the President gets his way, at least 96% of all Americans will have health care coverage by 2013.

But many political observers on Capitol Hill say Mr. Obama needs Senator Lieberman's support in order for the bill to move forward.

That's because even if all the Democrats in the Senate support the legislation, they need Lieberman for a "filibuster-proof" majority.

(A filibuster is basically when someone who opposes a piece of legislation tries to talk it to death - literally. Some filibusters go on for hours or even days. It takes at least 60 votes to end a filibuster. And right now, there are only 59 Democrats in the US Senate. So Senator Lieberman might hold up the bill indefinitely.)

The Senate is considering a number of compromises.

President Obama has said he hopes it'll vote on health insurance reform before the end of the year.

But US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says a final vote might have to wait until next year.

Stay tuned.

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