I'm totally fine with chipping in to a nationwide pot to pay for a safety net for the poor and/or uninsured. I can afford it. If this is "socialist" then every service provided by government is socialist.
Besides, in the U.S. system you're already paying for it in your premiums. Every time an uninsured person gets treated and doesn't pay, you do. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The free market would work well in theory, but health care providers have formed cartels to carve up territory and rig prices. Whenever I was employed I had a choice of maybe 1 (so no choice) or 2 providers. Plus they've hoodwinked Americans into paying the "copay" and the "deductible." Stupid system.