If Freedom is Not Free, Why Should Health Care Be?

Last Tuesday, another girl and I debated two guys from the College Democrats over Health Care. The Democrat moderator asked me if Health Care was a privelege or a right. I've been thinking about his question on and off all week. It's a touchy subject, no doubt, and it's not an easy one to answer. But, maybe I can put things in context here.
A couple of weeks ago, at work, I was having a conversation with my supervisor (who is heavily involved in Army ROTC) and another supervisor from Taiwan. She expressed her doubts regarding the legitimacy of war. My supervisor reiterated a phrase that we hear often: "Freedom is not Free." I reminded her that America wouldn't be such a great place for her to come to live and study if it weren't for the men and women in the armed forces who defend what this country stands for.
Of course, I had heard this phrase many times previously. Usually, when I think of this phrase, I think of the men and women who have died in defense of this country. Never until now, however, did I think of it in relation to domestic issues like Health Care.
First of all, I think there's a reason that among our inalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence, Life is the first one mentioned. I don't think that's a coincidence. It's the duty of the government to ensure that we're protected from enemies, both foreign and domestic. Of course, the first of these enemies should be those who threaten our immediate safety, like murderers and terrorists. I think both Democrats and Republicans should agree that America's greatest enemies are those whose intentions are to take away our lives.
During times of peace and prosperity, it seems that freedom and our American way of life are, in fact, free. It's during these times that we think we're lucky, and we're grateful to a government that is successfully averting the naiton from armed conflict. Every so often, however, there comes a time when war is inevitable, and men have to die in order for the government to keep its pact of protection with the American people.
So, I ask this question of my liberal friends: If freedom (in the sense of our immediate protection), is not free, what makes you think Health Care should be? Somebody will have to pay for this Health Care plan that President Obama and the Democrats are proposing. While the vast majority of Americans on both sides of the political spectrum (myself included) agree that our Health Care system needs to be reformed, it should not be reformed at the expense of the more pressing need of national defense. If we cut our defense spending to help pay for things like Health Care, we'll be in greater danger and we might not get a better health care system anyway. Since the government's number one priority should be our immediate safety, then we (as individuals) should do what we can to work for a better health care system through market-based solutions. I don't understand why that's such a shock for so many liberals. We, as a nation, have a proven track record of fulfilling a countless number of needs and wants through our free market economy.
So, I ask again, if freedom is not free, why should health care be? Why should you or anyone in this country get a free trip to the doctor when soldiers are dying over in the middle east?