Dean touts health cover for all; Presidential hopeful proposes Vermont plan as model for national program.(News)

Byline: ELIZABETH THOMPSON BECKLEY

At rallies on his presidential campaign tour, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has been rousing crowds by questioning why the United States doesn't have universal health care coverage, naming nearly a dozen countries that do provide coverage to all their citizens.

On what he calls the "Sleepless Summer Tour,'' the internist-turned-politician chastises President Bush for sleeping soundly at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, this summer while Americans lie awake with worry.

"There are an awful lot of Americans that are sleepless these days,'' Mr. Dean said Aug. 23 at the first rally of the tour in Falls Church, Va., attended by about 4,000 supporters. "They're sleepless about wondering where their job went. They're sleepless about wondering where their health insurance went …