U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin acknowledged the often frustrating gap between popular sentiment and government action at an AARP event on Saturday, saying he has long supported a national single-payer health care system but has never "had the votes" to pass it in Washington.

"There are a lot of things the majority of Americans support that Congress won't do," Harkin said. "If I had my way, we'd have a single-payer system, but I'm not a dictator."

Harkin said he has supported a single-payer system since 1991 and hopes the call for one from voters has now reached "critical mass" and will compel other legislators to support such a plan.

Harkin joined other experts gathered in North Liberty on Saturday for an AARP-sponsored forum on health reform. They concluded that a major overhaul of the federal health care system is needed and this may finally be the year it happens.

• See more photos from the forum
• Listen to audio of the forum
• Listen to audio from a Q&A after the forum
• Read IowaPolitics.com coverage

Labels: Tom Harkin