Leading Democratic Senators in Washington say they'll push for health care reform, with or without Republican support. And as the Senate gears up for debate, Senators from South Dakota are looking for input from the people they represent.

Senator Tim Johnson sat down Monday with a panel from the medical field, ranging from medical students to the Dean of the Sanford School of Medicine. The topic for discussion: the Senate's medical overhaul bill.

"I am reluctant to talk about the bill as it is now because it will be changed throughout the process," Senator Tim Johnson said.

Johnson supports the bill, saying it will save taxpayers $127 billion over the first ten years.

He said he expects debate to fire up next week, and the Senate's version of the bill to be passed in about a month.

The panel also took the time to discuss the amount of debt medical students are wracking up in medical school. They also talked about how many people will be covered by the government plan and how efficient it can be.

"There is a lot of attention applied to electronic records and so on.  That will help with the overall efficiency of the system," Johnson said.

As the session wrapped up, Senator Johnson wished the panelists the best for their medical careers and said he looks forward to passing a reform bill.

"That is a shame and a shock that this country can be as rich as it is, without having universal, or near universal coverage," Johnson said.

Exactly what that coverage will be is sure to be the hot topic in congress for weeks to come.

On the other side of the aisle, Senator John Thune does not support the health care reform bill as it is right now. He says the Senate should go back to the drawing board, instead of passing this legislation.

“Most major legislation, consequential legislation in the past has had at least some level of bi-partisanship associated with it. This, so far, clearly has been a partisan process,” Senator John Thune said.

The Republican says he'd like to see lawmakers focus on other ways to cut medical costs. He plans a roundtable discussion Tuesday afternoon in Rapid City.