If you found a suspicious lump in your neck, you’d never put off dealing with it with the excuse: This is the loveliest neck in the world, and I don’t want to tinker with it.

Sure, hospitals are expensive and serve tasteless food. Yes, surgeons can accidentally leave a clamp behind, and nobody likes blood. But burying one’s head in the sand is what ostriches do  and that’s what we Americans are poised to do if we miss this chance to reform our sick health care system.

The debate about health care in recent months has focused on the shortcomings of the reform proposals. Critics are right to be disappointed that the legislation doesn’t curb malpractice suits and doesn’t do more to change the basic fee-for-service structure that incubates rising health care costs.

But just think for a moment about the far costlier option that now may lie ahead of us: sticking with the status quo.