Many people understand the US system does not understand the Free Health Care system, and the reverse is also true. Having been living In the US (With Health insurance), Hong Kong (With Free health care), Sweden (Universial Health Care), UK (Without NHS) and Australia (With Medicare)
Here are my 2 cents.
In the US, we did not see Free Health Care as communism, rather, people not willing to pay for someone else's service. In fact, American have been working on a "Have and Have Not" system, where you only can afford what you could afford. You want to go to see a specialist? Either you have a health fund (Which majority of people have, only if you are unemployed) and you can cover it, or you pay for it, cold hard cash.
In the States, nobody want to pay anyone's free lunch. You work hard, so you can afford the service you want, people also need to realise that, when you compare other Civil Service (Such as Fire Department or Police Department) many American actually prefer Private Service (Like Fire Safety Specialist or Private Security).
The key is taxes, yes, the government can charge people more taxes in order to afford a universal health care, however, at 320 millions people, this is quite absurd to begin with, the problem is that You actually don't visit doctors or medical service that often, you claim your medical insurance probably just slightly more than claim from your automotive insurance. So, in case if the American are going to have universal health care, many American will see it as Bottomline Service, but not a full service, as we cannot afford such an extensive system like UK (Which only have 60 million people) Sweden (Less than 11 millions) or Australia (less than 24 millions)
On the other hand, the concern is not something unfounded. When I was living in Hong Kong, they had provided me with free health care, however, this is an option we don't actually take in Hong Kong, even tho Hong Kong only have 7 millions people back then, there exist a lack of service for general population. In a traditional ER, you are to wait for 3-5 hours just to have a chance to see a doctor, in out patient clinic? You can literally registered, then head out and a yum cha (Which take 2 hours) then go home and sleep for 4 hours, then come back to the hospital and you will still have 2 hours wait ahead of you. Many people in Hong Kong, if they can afford Private Healthcare, they will.
Australia and Sweden works because it's demand is not much, there are more Doctor to service a small population. However, if you use the same concept in the US, you will strain the existing infrastructure, and in the end, yes, you don't pay for anything, but then you will receive lower degree of care. So if you can afford it, why not having health insurance? I have Medicare card in Australia, yet I am still with AHM (Medical Insurance provider) because sometime you just want better care for yourselves, and if you have to pay for it? So be it.
But then, I will admit, if you are a chronically sick person or have been in serious medical problem, you will lean to want free medicare, but in case of a government, you cannot just to make policy to suit the minority, you need to look at the big picture.
