by Lynette Alice

Created on: March 19, 2010

During President Obama’s speech addressing the health care reform bill and vote at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, he made some very lofty promises and as good as it all sounds coming out of his mouth, will it live up to the hype?  Who are Americans to believe? Does the math add up? Are emotionally heartbreaking stories of individuals reason enough to change the structure of health care as it effects everyone?  Will the health care reform bill vote scheduled for Sunday have the 216 votes it needs to pass?

The first condition that has to be looked at is the votes. If the votes are not there nothing else matters. The Democrat party is announcing they have the edge since John Boccieri may set the trend for politicians to flip flop on their earlier vote.  As confident as they are the latest count is so close with too many votes on the edge of falling to either side nobody impartial is willing to confidently predict an outcome. Dennis Kucinich is practically begging for votes supporting the bill.  It may not be enough.

The vote many believe has to be on Sunday as any delay will likely kill all momentum. It is momentum they sorely need, as even some politicians that have stated they will support the health care reform bill have also stated they do not in any way support the riders that President Obama has forced into it like Rep, Jerold Nadler (D) NY. As Nadler said on MSNBC, this bill passing will save 45,000 lives a year of people that cannot afford life insurance any longer that have pre-existing conditions, and agrees that we should save one life at any cost. It makes for great copy and is a noble ideal. Nadler is confident that any kinks in financing can be worked out by 2018 which is the magic date for the “rent” to be paid.

On the other side of the fence opponents of the bill point out that while 45,000 lives sounds like a huge number, in the global and even national scheme of things that is an acceptable loss to save $100 billion dollars per year at the lowest estimate.  That puts the price on an individual human life at about $2.22 million dollars each. Of course no politician will phrase it that way, but that is what you get reading between the lines, and they feel that is too much.  That leads into the second area of examination which is the money involved in carrying out the health care reform bill as it is currently written.

President Obama stated in his speech that the best part of the bill

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