U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, (left) signaled Monday that he's taking a serious look at the Senate version of health-care changes -- although he strongly prefers the House proposal.

"None of this hard work is going to matter if we don't get a bill to the president's desk,'' Carnahan said as he filled bags with food at the Salvation Army's South Side operation in the 2900 block of Arsenal Street.

"I believe the goal is to get a bill to the president's desk'' within a few weeks, he added. President Barack Obama has said he'd like to have a congressionally approved measure by the time of his State of the Union address, slated for late January or early February.

Carnahan indicated that he was aware of the challenge of snagging the 60 necessary votes in the Senate. Democrats in the House passed their plan with a few votes to spare.

"Our goal in the House was to pass the strongest health-care reform bill that we could...within the political constraints,'' the congressman said.

Carnahan ticked off a number of provisions in the House measure that he preferred -- including the House plan to pay its proposals with a tax hike on people earning $1 million or more. The Senate proposal calls for a tax on so-called "Cadillac'' insurance plans, which union officials say could affect many of their members who bargained for more generous health-care packages instead of higher wages.

Carnahan said he was aware of the unions' concerns. But he re-emphasized that "political constraints'' may force all sides to accept some compromises. 

Carnahan also cited the House's proposed development of a national insurance exchange, as opposed to the state-by-state approach in the Senate bill.

Meanwhile, Carnahan's only announced Republican rival, St. Louis lawyer Ed Martin, (above, right) has set up a health-care town hall Thursday night, and has billed it as a "Carnahan Town Hall'' in hopes of pressing the congressman to participate. Martin has said his aim is to make the congressman aware of the public's concerns -- particularly from conservatives -- before he votes.

Carnahan declined comment about Martin's event, but noted that he has held numerous health care-related town halls and round tables for several years. "I'm going to continue to do what I've been doing,'' the congressman said.

Martin's town hall is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Two Hearts Banquet Center in Sunset Hills.

However, it appears that the center is not in Carnahan's 3rd Congressional District.  Banquet center executives confirmed that it is situated in the 2nd Congressional District, represented in the U.S. House by Republican Todd Akin.