As a not-so-gainfully-self-employed-person, I have to pay for my own health insurance. Fortunately, we are a reasonably healthy family.
I have high deductible plan, in which I can contribute pre-tax money to a Health Savings Account. It rolls over from year-to-year, unlike other accounts you can get through an employer cafeteria plan. The premium costs me $392/month. It covers a yearly physical exam for everyone in the family, but we pay for everything else up to the limit of our deductible...around $5200 per year. Once you hit that deductible, everything is covered at 100%, as long as I stay in-network.
This works pretty well, and protects us from catastrophe. Simple math says: at best, my annual health care cost is $4704. At worst, it's $9904. Either way, it's a very significant amount of money. Last year when I broke my clavicle, the ER, orthopod, and surgery rapidly chewed-up that $5200...
Why the hell did I spend the time to type this, when I should be working??? I dunno. Universal healthcare? I dunno, I have mixed feelings about it. Having lived overseas, I've witnesses first hand the dark-side of government run health care. Endless beaurocracy, fighting tooth and nail to get the correct care for your situation, etc.
...on the other hand, I have little love for the mega-insurance cartel that will pleasantly deny you coverage for a pre-existing condition, or jack-up rates 20% year-over-year to improve their bottom line.
If hard-pressed for an answer, I would probably like to see a comprehensive "group" (as in, the US Citizenry) plan that anyone could buy into. Give choices for managed (HMO style) care, or a PPO-type model. Perhaps with an income-based tax credit to help those with lower income levels?