The issues — tax policy, employer mandates, community-rated insurance plans — required the combined expertise of a doctor, an economist, a lawyer and an actuary to fully grasp.

But ever since Congress stopped talking and went into recess several weeks ago, the health care reform debate has grown white-hot. Topping the bill are the issues of euthanasia, abortion, illegal immigration, federal ID cards, socialized medicine …

“People have got genuine concerns,” said Christian Morgan, a political consultant and former executive director of the Kansas Republican Party. “They’re reacting because they’re not sure what’s going on at all. They don’t trust Washington. They don’t trust the government.

“The Democrats can complain all they want about Republicans trying to mislead the public, but the fact is there’s a lot of confusing information out there. The Democrats have been trying to jam this down everyone’s throats for the past couple of months, and they’re just not buying it anymore.”

But many of the allegations being made about health care reform have been based on misreadings or misrepresentations of what’s in the House bill’s 1,000-plus pages.

Read the full story at kansascity.com