There is a sick child here where we live. At every school in my city there is a donation jar for surgery for this little boy. I have put whatever money I have on me in the jar as well as many other's. I believe in a very serious time of need to help a family pay for their medical bills, but I don't believe in being forced to do it. I want the choice of donating to whatever cause i see fit. Saving children's lives is one I believe in and will give whenever asked to a sick child!
Awfully hard to ensure that donations collected that way go where they're supposed to, or that they are sufficient. But forced taking isn't good either. Ideally, any federal program to cover things like this should be funded through voluntary donations, maybe via a line on the tax return forms. If word of mismanagement got out, donations would plummet, so there would be incentive to keep it clean and efficient, despite the fact that it would be run by government.