HONOLULU -- Local supporters of the bill praised it's promise to bring health coverage to millions, reduce costs of prescription drugs while extending coverage for consumers with pre-existing conditions.

Hawaii Kai resident Steve Tam quit his job last year to care for his parents and in-laws.

“People want to help themselves and if they can’t help in their homes, it’s going to be a lot more affordable than going into nursing homes,” said Tam.

A financial burden his family hopes the health care bill relieves.

“Care giving is something that is very expensive for not only care givers but also for the parents and loved ones,” Tam said Sunday.

Hawaii's lone House member voted for the measure.

"Hawaii’s premier state health care law remains intact," Democrat U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono said in a written statement. “Today’s vote brings us closer to providing affordable health care options to part-time workers who aren’t covered by the Prepaid Healthcare Act."

"The bill will also ban insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions and it eliminates lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits n coverage," Hirono said.

“What this law will do on a federal level is add to the good programs we have locally. It will preserve local coverage and it will provide additional assistance for small business,” said Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Brian Schatz.

However, Republican state Sen. Sam Slom is an advocate for small businesses and he disagreed.

“I’ve talked to small business," Slom said. "I can’t find one small business that says that it’s going to do what we need it to do."

Slom opposes the bill that he said changed so many times, Americans do not know what they are getting.

“A 2000-plus page that very few people have read, and, as they always say, the devil is in the details. The details are negative for America and they are certainly negative for democracy,” said Slom.

"Hawaii has already undertaken health care reforms. Specifically, our QUEST Medicaid program, which the federal government estimates has saved nearly $700 million by instituting cost-efficiency measures, provides quality health care to low-income men, women and children," Republican Gov. Linda Lingle said in a written statement. "Hawaii needs the freedom to continue these reforms. We don’t need restrictions in the form of unfunded federal mandates."