INDEPENDENCE - U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley took on Iowa's senior senator and a feisty crowd at a town hall meeting Wednesday as he sought to dispel what he said were persistent myths in the health care debate.

Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, opened the forum at Independence Public Library with a "fact check" in which he disputed claims that a new health bill would "pull the plug on grandma," force people into a government health plan and increase taxes on most Americans.

"There are claims being made, including by Sen. (Charles) Grassley, that this will 'pull the plug on grandma.' There's nothing further from the truth,'" Braley said.

Grassley, a Republican, said in a town hall meeting in Winterset last week that "we should not have a government program that determines you're gonna pull the plug on grandma."

Some in the overflow crowd of about 200 disagreed with Braley's assertions and interrupted him during what was an otherwise civil public meeting.

Others laughed derisively when he said the House bill will be fully paid for in 10 years and generate a $6 billion surplus. It is a hotly disputed figure Democrats say is accurate once adjustments to Medicare fees to doctors are made.

Braley, who thanked the crowd for its civility, chastised those who have loudly disrupted town hall meetings because they oppose the public health insurance option on grounds that the government never does anything right.

Despite Medicare's shortcomings, he said, the vast majority of Americans are extremely satisfied with the single-payer government health care plan. He also said he "didn't hear them complaining" when the government helped tornado- and flood-ravaged areas recover from last summer's storms.

Braley said the House's health bill will levy a tax on singles making at least $280,000 and married couples earning at least $320,000. That means more than 99 percent of Iowans in his 1st Congressional District will not have their taxes raised, he said.

The House bill would use payments to encourage doctors to discuss end-of-life options with their patients, Braley said. Claims that any legislation would push someone to a premature death because their care is too expensive have been widely debunked, he said.

Some in the crowd remained skeptical, and repeatedly returned to the subject.

Marc Lattin of Cedar Falls said the health care legislation "scared the heck" out of him because he believes a subsidized public option will eventually push private insurers out of business.

"That's when you'll see rationing," he said.

Braley told him the House bill ensures an even playing field for the private sector by requiring a government health insurance plan to pay for itself and use identical accounting rules.

Janice Goodman, an emergency room nurse from Marion, said she doesn't understand why so many people fear doctors will somehow encourage an early death by discussing care options. If anything, she said, too few people make their wishes known.

"We're not going to kill your grandmother. Why does anyone think anyone but you have a say in your end-of-life decisions?" she said.

Earlier in the day, about 100 people turned out for a less boisterous health care forum hosted by Braley at Upper Iowa University in Fayette.