"My German and French friends tell me that the poor receive much better health care there than they do in our country."
Ahh, now you finally got down to the crux of it.
The poor may fare better in Germany or France (I'm not sure this is is accurate) but you forget to count the cost of this as well.
The poor fare better but it is at the expense of everyone else who can afford better care. There are trade-offs here and you are ignoring those.
Is it right for one person to another person's money and give it to someone else? Is it right for gov't to take one person's money and give it to someone else? This is the essence of socialism and is exactly what happens in healthcare, welfare, etc. That you see this as a morally right thing to do when done by gov't means you have a blind side when it comes to knowing right from wrong.
No, I didn't...as you will see if you read the rest of my posts on this thread.
Is it right for gov't to take one person's money and give it to someone else?
I conclude that socialized medicine is the wrong way to go...but not for moral reasons. I think basic care has to be degraded too much to provide "unlimited" service to all.
As to the moral issue you raise. As usual there are arguments on all sides. Is it right for some to be exempted from military service while others give their lives to protect them? (Just an example of the kinds of difficult questions that any society must face).