The group of about 50 included directors from various nonprofit organizations, business professionals and elected officials. They gathered for lunch in a banquet area at Johnny's Charhouse in Sycamore, where Durbin, D-Ill., touched on topics like terrorism, the economy and the use of stimulus money.

Most of the questions, though, were geared toward the health care reform legislation that's pending in Washington.

"I will tell you this is not a perfect bill," Durbin said of the legislation as it's currently written. "It's a product of the legislative process, and that process is give and take."

The House and Senate have passed different versions of health care reform, and a compromise between the proposed legislation is necessary before continuing. Although the bills differ on many details, Durbin said Tuesday that lawmakers are stuck on three primary issues: a public option for health care, how to restrict taxpayer funding for abortion, and paying for the bill itself.

The Senate bill, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was approved Dec. 24 by a 60-39 vote. It includes tax credits for small businesses in the 2010 fiscal year, a ban on pre-existing condition exclusions for those younger than 18 years old, the option for parents to use their plans to cover dependents until they're 26, and a ban on insurance companies dropping coverage after a person falls ill.

Durbin said Tuesday that one option for funding lies in imposing a tax on insurance companies for each policy that has an annual cost of more than $23,000. He thinks doing so would curb skyrocketing premiums and keep insurance companies in check.

"There would be more competition and opportunities so people would see the cost of insurance coming down, or at least stabilizing," Durbin said.

Another funding method is to increase Medicare taxes for individuals making more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000 a year.

During the health care reform process, the general issue of affordability has been high on lawmakers' list of concerns, Durbin said.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that major subsidies to help families under either the House or Senate bill won't start flowing to consumers until 2013, at the earliest.

The House bill would provide $602 billion in subsidies from 2013-2019, covering an additional 36 million people, according to the report. Aid under the Senate bill would start a year later and would provide $436 billion in subsidies from 2014-2019, reducing the number of uninsured by 31 million.

Despite the bill's hurdles, Durbin said lawmakers are taking a big step in the right direction.

"We have reached a point in this country where I feel the current health insurance is unsustainable," he said. "We still have a few major obstacles, but we can't miss this opportunity. ... We're going to get through this mess; we always do. We're strong, and we're determined."

Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Washington next week to discuss health care reform.

DeKalb County Community Foundation Executive Director Dan Templin was appreciative of having lunch with Durbin.

"This is a good opportunity to hear one of our key legislators speak in person and to hear his thoughts," Templin said. "Any questions he answered are relevant to real issues happening locally in our community."