The Democrat Fact Check in USAToday

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By David Jackson and Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY

The Democratic presidential candidates used a lot of numbers and made many claims at their final debate before the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3. A look at some:
Claim by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama: They would provide affordable health care coverage "to every single American."

Reality: Clinton's health care plan has a mandate that every American would be required to purchase health insurance. Health policy analysts such as Robert Laszewski, who writes a health care blog, said mandates are meaningless if people can't afford insurance. Obama's plan does not mandate coverage for everyone, but would require all children to have health insurance. Clinton has pointed to studies showing a plan without a mandate would leave about 15 million uninsured. Both candidates have proposed investments in technology and a focus on disease prevention

Claim by John Edwards: "One of the reasons that we've lost jobs, we're having trouble creating jobs. .. is because corporate power and greed have literally taken over the government."

Reality: Edwards is wrong about job creation. There were 94,000 new jobs created in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since August 2003, 8.35 million jobs have been created.

Claim by Bill Richardson: "We've made enormous progress" in teacher salaries in New Mexico during his tenure as governor. "We were 49th ... in the country," he said. "We're 28th today."

Reality: Richardson is wrong about how high the state ranks in teacher pay, according to the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union. The NEA says New Mexico ranked 36th in average public school teacher salaries in 2006, the most recent data available.The state is No. 6 in improving teacher salaries between 1996 and 2006, the union found. Richardson was first elected governor in 2002.

Claim by Joseph Biden: "Six out of 10" new teachers leave the profession "within five years because the pay's not competitive."

Reality: There is a revolving door for new teachers, but Biden overstates the problem. Richard ngersoll, a teacher-turnover expert at the University of Pennsylvania, cites studies of lower turnover rates for new teachers — between 40% and 50% in the first five years. The top cause: "family or personal" reasons.