As someone born into a country with public healthcare, I don't view public healthcare as a handout. That is something Americans are conditioned into thinking. We pay taxes, those taxes should be used to fund vital things in the community and what is more vital than health? Nothing. But then again, 'healthcare' these days is mainly just pharmaceuticals, which is an extremely corrupted industry.. but still, if I need emergency treatment, I do not see why I should be billed for it. I think healthcare is a basic right in societies where we pay so much tax. It's not like you are getting things for nothing. Handing over $250 in tax a week, plus all the random tax I pay for things I have to buy, well it should benefit me in some way.
Whether USA has private or public healthcare or both, government is still in control of all of it anyway. I think there should always be the option of public healthcare (you can have public or private in Australia) for people who cannot afford to buy private healthcare (or who don't get it as a job perk)