I'm sure it happens to a lot of professionals. At social events, if you're a doctor, people will casually tell you of their ailments. If you are a banker, someone is bound to strike up a conversation about the economy. When I attend a social gathering, inevitably someone will want to talk about politics or whatever is in the headlines that day. As much as I try to avoid talking shop during my free time, I usually fall into the trap. Last time that happened, I came out of it appalled.

This is how it went down. I went to a friend's birthday luncheon, and the conversation with old friends moved quickly from the kids to the deposed Honduran president trying to get his job back, the Venezuelan leaders' decision to shut down dozens of radio stations, and Colombian rock star Juanes' planned concert in Cuba. But it was health-care reform that really ignited a debate -- not so much because of the proposed changes by the Obama administration, but because of the lack of understanding of the issue.

One of the women, an elegant, intelligent lady with an innate interest in the well-being of others, told me she was skeptical of health-care reform. “We just don't know enough about it,” she said. She is not alone. Polls show that there is a growing disapproval of the overhaul of our health-care system, which seems to come in part from misinformation and lack of information. There also is a growing concern.

“I fear what will happen to people who lose their jobs,” my friend said to me. I told her that, as far as I know, what the president is proposing is that those who lose their jobs will not lose their insurance. “For how long?” she asked. “Will people have to get some kind of government insurance where they will have to wait in line for hours for service, like in Cuba?” Up to this point, the conversation is totally predictable and understandable. My response was that she should try to gather more information. This is where I started to worry.

My friend told me that the media should be giving more details. “Why aren't you going to different cities to ask people what they think of the plan?” she asked. Well, the media actually are measuring public opinion on the issue, but I wondered if what she was looking for were facts, or opinions from people who might be just as confused as she is. “Facts,” she said. I told her to go to a government Web site and find out what is being proposed, and then look for different points of view on those proposals. “I don't trust the government,” she said, “and, like myself, there are millions of people who don't like going onto the Internet.”

I offered yet another alternative: Watch the town-hall meetings that President Barack Obama has been holding in cities around the country, where he is taking questions and explaining his proposals in detail. “He is a Democrat. He will only give me his point of view,” she said.

We have a real problem in this country. Aside from a poor health-care system and tens of millions of Americans who don't have access to health insurance, the problem is that too many people don't know the difference between facts and myths, and are not bothering to figure it out.

The issue of health-care reform is complicated, as is the political process to approve new laws. At this point, we don't even have a bill that Congress can vote on, and the country already is divided on something that doesn't exist. Negotiations continue in both the House and the Senate. People seem to be allowing themselves to be brainwashed by those who are twisting the facts for political gain. Granted, everyone has the right to disagree or disapprove of the proposed changes, but distorting information and spinning the truth is doing a disservice to the country.

We are very lucky in the United States to have more rights than in possibly any other country in the world. But people need to know that they also have responsibilities as citizens or residents of this country. Part of that responsibility is to get informed, even if it means going out of your way, especially on issues that will have a profound impact on your livelihood. Health-care reform certainly is one of those issues. Don't trust anyone? Try factcheck.org.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www .mariaesalinas.com)

© 2009 by Maria Elena Salinas

Distributed by King Features Syndicate