by Grace Alexander

Created on: March 19, 2010   Last Updated: March 22, 2010

The health care vote is coming down to the wire, with both Dems and Republicans claiming they have the votes needed to sway the issue. The Democratic Party claims the advantage, pointing to John Bocciere as an example of how the tide may turn, with politicians formerly voting one way 'flip-flopping' at the ninth hour.

Republicans on the other hand insist that their party will carry the day. Plenty of voters on both sides are still on the fence, citing the need for health care reform but struggling with 'riders' attached to the health care bill.

Both parties agree that health care reform is sorely needed. Rep. Jerold Nader (D) NY commented during an MSNBC interview that the health care bill, if passed, could save the lives of 45,000 people with pre-existing conditions a year.

The idea that even just one life being saved is worth any cost is a platform that supporters of the bill are staunchly promoting, saying that the cost can be balanced as soon as 2018 if the bill is passed.

Opponents point to the fact that 45,000 lives is a drop in the bucket, and that 'acceptable loss' must be factored into the equation. Underneath their reasoned arguments is the distasteful notion that a human life simply isn't worth $2.2 million.

The estimated cost of the bill as written is coming under intense scrutiny as many question whether the federal government can afford to subsidize healthcare on any level at all.

President Obama spoke out concerning the health care reform bill at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Feelings run high as the voting date nears, and many feel that any faltering at this point will hopelessly stall the momentum gathered thus far.

Obama claims that the health care bill will not in fact cost taxpayers an exorbitant amount; instead, the money to fund it will be reclaimed from the existing health care system where fraud, waste and abuse run rampant. Obama commented:

"… my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the federal government. Americans buying comparable coverage to what they have today in the individual market would see premiums fall by 14 to 20 percent. For Americans who get their insurance through the workplace, costs could be as much as $3,000 a person less than they would be if we do nothing. Altogether, our cost-cutting measures would reduce most people's premiums and bring down our deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next two decades. And those aren't my numbers; they are the savings

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