The Senate Health Committee passed the bill but Democratic
Committee Chair Ed Hernandez says he still has reservations.
With the bill's author Mike Feuer in front of him Wednesday, Hernandez said he supports regulation.
But he wants amendments that would tackle underlying causes of
rising health costs and help create implementation timelines.
HERNANDEZ: "You and I have agreed to work on the outstanding issues, and if I don't feel one-hundred percent comfortable of where we're going to get, I do reserve the right not to vote for the bill on the floor."
The vote came after a contentious three-hour hearing last week from a diverse crowd of community and business groups.
Opponents say the law would create an expensive bureaucracy and would interfere with health reform.
Supporters say it would keep health care in reach and help small business.
The bill goes next to Senate Appropriations.