In what seemed to be a key victory in the Clinton administration's campaign for universal health coverage, Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-III), swung his support yesterday behind a speech at the Harvard School of Public Health (SPH).

"I'll do as big a bill as I possible do," Rostenkowski told the audience of nearly 200 Medical School students, SPH students and doctors. "I'll ask you to pay for it, too."

Rostenkowski's powerful Ways and Means Committee is the first obstacle in the five-stage course of Congressional committee that Clinton must manage in order to make good on his massive campaign promised to provide affordable health care for every American.

"Our legislative train...is building up a head of steam and will soon leave the station," he said. "But we do have a truth-in- legislating standard to meet and that requiresme to remind you that we still haven't found thehealth fairly. And we're not terribly optimisticthat we will."

Along with his support, Rostenkowski expressedhis reservations about the Clinton bill, joiningSen. George J. Mitchell (D-Maine) and Rep. PeterStark (D-Calif.), among others.

In fact, Rostenkowski outlined a program with aballpark price tag in the "tens of billions" whichdiffered significantly from Clinton's.Rostenkowski's plan calls for an employer mandate,by which "tens of thousands" of employers pay toinsure "tens of millions" of workers.

In addition, Rostenkowski said he opposedClinton's proposal of mandatory alliances--aposition which Clinton himself began to back offfrom last Thursday. Such alliances would beinsurance cooperatives to which most Americanswould subscribe.

Rostenkowski criticized the proposal as anexample of "larger government," which is unpopularin his committee. Rostenkowski also rejectedClinton's plan to reduce health care costs throughmarket forces, calling instead for directgovernment intervention to control costs.

In response to a question, Rostenkowski vowedto protect funding for teaching hospitals. "Yourrepresentatives have been visiting us," he said."The appetite is quite large...You have a veryfriendly individual here.