Health care reform. Health care reform. The phrase is being tossed around in the media, among politicians and neighbors. But what does it mean for you?

That remains to be seen as the legislative process evolves. Here is why:

With five congressional committees creating five different versions of a health care reform bill, a finalized piece of legislation could be months away.

In July, three committees from the U.S. House of Representatives approved individual versions of a health care reform bill known as House Resolution 3200, or America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. The committees have not yet gathered to compromise on a unified version, said Alexa Marrero, spokesperson for the House Committee on Education and Labor that created one of the three bill versions.

Once the House merges its three bills into one, the entire House of Representatives will vote on it.

The Senate is working toward health care solutions as well. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has created its draft of a health care reform bill, and now the Senate Finance Committee is working on its own version. At some point the two Senate committees will have to get together and agree on one bill. Then the entire Senate will vote on it.

If the House and the Senate pass their individual bills, they will need to merge their provisions into a single, national health care reform bill.

Recent debates revolve around Senate brainstorming and the House's HR 3200, as it served as a foundation for the House committees to design their individual plans. There is no guarantee that any of the ideas will play out in a final, congressionally approved bill.

This evolution of national health care reform legislation will continue, but for now the following are answers to some common questions:

Q: What will health care reform mean to me?

A: Though Congress has not yet agreed on how to reform health care, most representatives and senators agree the system needs to change. Both parties want to eliminate inefficiencies in the system, such as when duplicate testing is done on a patient, and make health care more accessible. Health care reform could mean health coverage for the more than 40 million uninsured Americans. It could also mean higher taxes to help fund that coverage.

Q: What is the difference between a public plan and a nonprofit cooperative plan?

A: A public plan would be run by the government, either as a separate entity or as an expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, according to congressional spokesmen. A nonprofit cooperative would be run by the members who pay into the health service.

Q: How will health care reform affect my taxes?

A: It depends. Under a House bill, taxes would increase for the top 1.2 percent of earners. This includes families making more than $350,000 a year or singles making more than $280,000 a year. Under a Senate bill, the taxes would fall on insurance companies providing high-value insurance instead of individuals. The taxed plans would include plans covering massage therapy, acupuncture and other luxury treatments.

"Generally it's CEOs that have these types of plans," said Erin Shields, press secretary for the Senate Finance Committee. "Those plans encourage people to use more health care than they need."

It is also possible that businesses will incur a tax of about 8 percent of their revenue if they do not provide government-approved insurance plans to employees.

Q: Will the government fund abortions through health care reform?

A: Many of the bills do not specifically state money will be used to fund abortions. However, the vague language does leave room for interpretation.

"There is no line drawn in the Senate Health bill," said Craig Orfield, communications director for the Republicans on the Senate Health Committee. "There's no specific prohibition, and there's no specific stamp of approval. The way that's been interpreted is that health care providers can offer abortion services."

Q: Why the big push for health care reform now, and why did efforts toward health care reform fail in the past?

A: Obama made health care reform a major platform during his presidential campaign. And by improving the health care system the government would help improve the economy, said Larry Baas, professor and chair of the political science department at Valparaiso University.

"Why now?" said Baas. "I guess the question is why not now. It is part of solving the economic problem we have."

Health care reform efforts have been going on for years, such as with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton's proposal in the early 1990s. However, Baas says the difference between attempts now and then lies in political strategy.

"Clinton sat down, wrote the thing and handed it to Congress," Baas said. "Obama said, 'Here are my principles; you write.'"

Q: What will happen if a health care reform bill is not passed?

A: If the bills do not leave the House or the Senate this year, Baas said it will mean the end of health care reform. He said the American political process operates in small increments, and Americans will see incremental changes as opposed to a widespread overhaul of health care.

"You do battle and get small change," he said. "I think that we're going to resolve this by having a little change, but not much. We're going to come back in a few years and do it again."