Sen. Charles Grassley was correct to say Americans have a right to fear health care reform. He was wrong, however, to imply they have a reason.

People have a right to be afraid. There is no law against it. It appears to be human nature that some prefer to live in deep fear. But there is a vast gap between instinctive fear and the intelligent, moral action required for health care reform.

There are currently two reform bills before Congress. Neither has passed, and neither is likely to pass in its current version. That's the way Congress works - by the time amendments are added and sections are wordsmithed, a bill may barely resemble its original state. Once a bill is passed by each house, a conference committee must thrash out common language, and the resulting bill must again be passed by both houses.

This civics lesson shows the process is far from over, and it is time the reformists stepped up to the television cameras. The far right has dominated media attention because it is pitching fits, screaming and preventing rational discussion. But far right irrationalities do not define the majority, and we can aim for informed conversation instead.

No one is proposing "socialized" medicine, the abolition of private insurance, nine-month waits to see a doctor or "death panels." Shame on the far right, the insurance companies and their henchmen for telling such big lies. Look not to Canada and Britain for exemplary systems, but to Germany, France, Norway.

What do we need to achieve with health care reform? It is not that complicated: universal access, lower costs and better research.

If you have health care coverage, you might be worried about rationing (i.e., losing your access) and long waits. In truth, rationing already exists; 45 million Americans have very limited or no access. Contrary to myth, hospitals are required to provide some "free" care (paid for by those who can pay), but are not required to treat anyone who walks (or is carried) into ER.

This fear assumes more people will seek treatment from the same number of providers. But what if medical schools opened opportunities to many more qualified applicants? What if hospitals were not profit-driven (and even the nonprofits are) and stopped replacing nurses with aides? What if specialists went into medicine for love, not money?

Medical devices, pharmaceuticals, hospitalizations and many treatments command prices that are simply unconscionable. Companies are making a killing off health care, and that needs to stop. It is like charging extraordinary rates for water, air or food - it is immoral.

Providers could reduce waste with the added benefit of environmental soundness. Is it really safer to use disposable tools than to sanitize them, or is it just a way to save on labor? Is it really necessary to print an entire sheet of labels when all that is needed is one for a blood vial?

For some time now, pharmaceutical companies have spent more on advertising than on research. Patented drugs are cheaper everywhere in the world than in America. Let's eliminate the corporate tax deduction for medical advertising and increase it for bona fide research.

The bills currently before Congress are complicated and bulky, and they don't really need to be. But let's not pretend the Republicans are offering any plan at all for health care reform. Nothing is happening on that side of the aisle except the infinite "no" backed up by bare-faced lies.

Let's not put up with this any more. Call the liars out. Make them respond to our nation's needs. And, since we are a majority, let's pull together to universalize access by supplying more providers; making sure everyone has insurance; cutting costs by recruiting providers who aren't in it for wealth; economizing sensibly; and promoting research, not advertising. We'll all win - except those now getting rich off our suffering.