At Forum, Democrats Differ on Health Care

"I do not believe you can have universal health care without finding a source of revenue," he said, adding: "We don't get universal health care for free."

Edwards was followed by Richardson, who for the first time offered details of his plan for universal coverage. As a governor who has made his record of cutting taxes in New Mexico part of his calling card as a candidate, Richardson said his plan would not require new revenue. "This is a plan that would not add bureaucracy," he said. "This is a plan that could be paid for without any new taxes."

Richardson said he would fund his proposal by ending the war in Iraq and shifting some of the billions being spent there to health care.

Clinton skirted the question of raising taxes. Noting that she was prepared to make some modest new investments to improve aspects of the system, she said: "I don't think we should start with the position where we say we're going to increase all of these costs by putting more money into a system that is broken. We have to fix the system."

She called for an end to "insurance discrimination" and said she was prepared for a "big political battle" to take money from insurance companies and others who "make out really well." But, referring to her experience in the 1990s, she said, "I know better than anybody how hard this is going to be."

Obama joined in pledging support for universal care but said he had not concluded how much additional revenue it might take. "I will do whatever it takes," he said.

A member of the audience challenged him by saying she had gone to his campaign Web site and could not find any serious discussion about how he would expand coverage. Obama said his campaign is just eight weeks old and that he is still in the process of developing a plan of his own.

But he suggested that plans are less important than the political skills required to force a national consensus. "Everybody's going to have some good ideas," he said. "The question is, are we able to bring a majority of people together around the need to solve the problem now?"

Dodd said the climate for change "is a lot better" now than it was in 1994 and said that he may be best positioned to execute an overhaul because of long-standing relationships with the key Republican and Democratic legislators who control health-care legislation. "I've known every one of them for 30 years. . . . They know me; I know them," he said.

Richardson said he would hope to achieve universal coverage during the first year of his presidency. Edwards and Obama set goals of accomplishing the changes by the end of their first terms. Dodd said he would make it his top priority and hoped to reach the goal "in far less than four or eight years."

Clinton has said it might take two full terms to fully implement universal coverage. "I think we can move more quickly," she said, "but make no mistake about it, this will be a series of steps."

Most of the candidates said they would build their plans on the current employer-based system, although most also talked about making the same plan used by members of Congress and federal government employees available to all Americans.

Kucinich and Gravel disagreed with those ideas. Gravel called proposals to build on the employer-based plan "a Band-Aid that's not going to work."

Kucinich said the front-running candidates are not willing to break the hold of the insurance companies on health care. He said he would push for a single-payer, not-for-profit system, adding, "It's waiting for a candidate who will lead the way."