Our representative democracy didn’t become a model for the world by keeping quiet. Heated debate and passionate protest are at the core of our nation’s history. Much more often than not, it has changed us for the better.

As the national discussion over health-care reform comes home in the form of town hall meetings hosted by members of Congress, passions have been running high. At some meetings, unfortunately, shouting has drowned out useful give-and-take.

The emotions are understandable, even if their expression goes overboard. A major and very complicated overhaul is being proposed, the consequences of which can’t fully be predicted. People are at once hopeful and fearful, confident in the need for change but deeply skeptical of particular solutions.

Add the scenes of pushing and shoving and shouting that are repeated every hour on cable news outlets, and it’s a recipe for conflict, confusion and, unfortunately, deliberate distortion.

In truth, a one- or even two-hour town hall meeting can’t possibly cover a lot of detail — even if everyone remains civil. People must take responsibility for informing themselves by keeping up with the news.

Two online sources can be particularly helpful for separating health-care fact from fiction: PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org. Both are politically independent and highly credible.

PolitiFact, a project of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, features a “Truth-O-Meter” that measures the truthfulness of statements made by members of Congress, lobbyists and interest groups. Its ratings of statements range from the good (“True”), to the bad (“False”) to the really, really inflammatory (“Pants on Fire”).

FactCheck.org is run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and provides in-depth analysis of claims made by major political players. Like PolitiFact, it takes equally sharp aim at claims made by all sides.

Moving toward a health-care system that ensures cost-effective care for all, regardless of income or pre-existing conditions, isn’t a new idea — it’s been debated since the Theodore Roosevelt administration. But with costs rising at a pace that’s unsustainable to individuals, businesses and governments, the need for effective reform has never been more urgent.

Change isn’t easy in a democracy, especially when it’s this complex. As a nation, we need to understand the details of what’s being proposed, engage in an honest debate over their merits, and arrive at a solution most people can live with. Shouting past each other won’t get us there.