MIDDLETON — Speakers and audience members at a town hall-style meeting voiced their worries about proposed health care reform Wednesday night, saying such changes could limit health care options and increase costs.

At least 1,000 people attended the event at the Marriott Madison West hotel, which featured panel speakers and audience questions. Organizers said the turnout was 2,000.

"I’m really concerned about this health care proposal," said Shan Pechmann, who owns a small business with her husband in McFarland. She said the current proposal would cause her and her husband to drop coverage for their employees. "I’d like to see reform," she said. "I’d like to see tort reform. I’d like to see more competition."

Some people said they support the reform proposals. "I wanted to make my opinion vocal and show approval for the health care bill," said Mary Carle from Madison.

The event was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which has organized so-called "tea parties" across the country to support lower taxes and smaller government.

Speakers, including former Rep. Scott Klug and ABC News reporter John Stossel, poked fun at the notion that the event was an example of "astro turf" — orchestrated gatherings that aren’t grass-roots based.

"There is no doubt whatsoever that there’s been a successful effort to mobilize the right on this issue, said Robert Kraig, program director for Citizen Action of Wisconsin. "They’ve been able to get back on the offensive by, I think, mischaracterizing the health care plan as proposed by Obama."

The tactics used on both sides of the issue are scaring independent voters, Kraig said.

Audience members asked questions and made statements on subjects ranging from pre-existing conditions to abortion, reflecting the topic’s many facets.

The Middleton event came as the partisan debate over health care reform intensifies in Washington, D.C.

President Obama and Democrats are hustling to keep afloat their overall plan for covering more Americans and providing a so-called "public option" in the form of a government insurance plan. Democrats say a government insurance option, or possibly private nonprofit insurance cooperatives, would boost competition in the marketplace by forcing private insurers not to raise rates unduly and would be crucial to holding down skyrocketing health care costs.

Republicans have countered saying that the public option would make existing private insurance plans unsustainable. The overall health plans, they say, could total $1 trillion over the next 10 years — costs that would add to crushing increases in the national debt. Other such events are scheduled in La Crosse and Wausau today.

-- State Journal reporter Jason Stein contributed to this article.