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PHOENIX — Votes remained too close to call Wednesday on a ballot proposition to ban state-imposed universal health care in Arizona.

The margin between those who want approval of Proposition 101 and those who oppose it remained in the 2,000 range late Wednesday out of more than 1.7 million ballots cast on the measure. There are still thousands of uncounted early ballots that were not mailed in but instead turned in to polling places on Election Day.

Proposition 101 would constitutionally prohibit any state law "that restricts a person's freedom of choice of private health-care systems or private plans of any type." It also would bar any requirement that people enroll in any specific plan or face a fine for refusing to do so.

Eric Novack, a Phoenix-area doctor and one of the organizers, said he is not against reforming health care. Novack said he fears the imposition of any plan that restricts an individual's ability to decide the type of care, or coverage, desired.

He noted that House Minority Leader Phil Lopes, D-Tucson, has a plan for universal health care, where everyone participates or pays. Lopes said it would be funded through the $35 billion a year he said is being spent not only by the government but also private companies and individuals who purchase insurance.

Gov. Janet Napolitano also favors some sort of universal health care.

But the initiative ran into problems when Anthony Rodgers, director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, said the measure, if approved, might affect how his agency operates.

AHCCCS provides free care for everyone with income below the federal poverty level, $21,200 a year for a family of four. It functions essentially like a health-maintenance organization, paying providers a flat fee to care for each person enrolled.

Rodgers said he feared the constitutional language in Proposition 101 would force AHCCCS to convert to a fee-for-service plan, a change he said could cost taxpayers $1 billion a year.

Novack denied AHCCCS would be affected and accused Rodgers of using his state position to influence the election. But a judge rejected claims that Rodgers had acted illegally.