Americans are into “personal responsibility.” From Gallup:

PRINCETON, NJ — In a recent Gallup survey, 89% of Republicans, 64% of independents, and 61% of Americans overall say Americans themselves — rather than the government — have the primary responsibility for ensuring that they have health insurance. Six in 10 Democrats say the government should be primarily responsible. … A system in which Americans are “primarily responsible” for their families’ health insurance — as the new Gallup question is phrased — would not preclude having a government-based insurance program for the poor, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or Medicaid. By the same token, public support for the government’s making sure “all Americans have healthcare coverage” — as other questions are phrased — isn’t tantamount to support for mandated health insurance or a universal government-run system. … An important principle behind the current push for healthcare reform is that healthcare is a basic right that the government ought to guarantee for all Americans. Not only are the details of achieving universal coverage proving to be highly controversial, but it is unclear how strongly Americans support the premise.