Hyperbole on Health Care Reform

Both Democrats and Republicans have engaged in a lot of hyperbole about health care reform and what it is and is not.
The latest salvo is from Democratic Congressman Grayson, who said that the Republican plan is, Don't get sick and if you do die quickly.
Of course, the Republicans have been invoking the Grim Reaper to characterize the Democratic plans all along.
The only ones happy with the stalemate are insurance companies.
E. J. Dionne, Washington Post columnist and Fall River native, points out in this column that despite widespread public support and the existence of Medicare and Veteran's Administration health care plans ...

...which go far beyond the present proposals, the debate has not focused on the issues but on ideology.
As I see it the issues are twofold, the US pays way to much for health care which threatens to bankrupt our citizens, companies and government, and secondly, we have millions who are uninsured or underinsured leading to necessary suffering and deaths.
The public option is a way to lower the costs of health care and to insure a greater percentage of citizens. That simple. These should be the terms of the debate.
Do we need to lower costs? No question. How will we do it?
Do we have a moral obligation to care for the sick and reduce suffering? I think so. How do we get that done?