Many Americans find themselves flummoxed by health care reform

As legislators seek to sell what has so far been a largely Washington insider effort, many Americans are confused about what health care reform actually entails. 

NPR reports: "As members of Congress head home for the summer recess, they will use the time to either sell to their constituents the national health care and insurance overhaul being fiercely debated in Washington, or deep-six it. No matter which side of the issue members come down on, they will find that the people who put them in office remain deeply confused about what the still-being-written overhaul might bring. And most Americans are equally suspicious of — and confused by — claims being made by both supporters and opponents of President Obama's most ambitious domestic initiative. With Congress still struggling to fashion legislation and Obama letting the details take shape on Capitol Hill while he sells its broader parameters during appearances that include town hall meetings, most outside Washington have no idea what the overhaul will look like, what it will cost and how it could affect them personally, says Mark Blumenthal of Pollster.com."

NPR reports on efforts by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to explain the plan to his constituents in Iowa amid various targeted advertising. NPR notes: "There is intellectual acceptance that health care is a problem and that it costs too much. But for most Americans, the confusing babble that's coming out of Washington sounds worse. ... And that's what Grassley and his congressional colleagues will face in coming weeks: confusion, skepticism and the still-lingering question of what the overhaul will look like and what will it mean for households in Iowa and beyond (Halloran, 8/3).