I agree with your open-minded stance. It will be so interesting to see what the results of this "experiment" will be - hopefully it will ultimately be positive for the population, but there could be many disadvantages too. I would also be wary about the "collectivism" aspect of it, as when collectivism is organised by politicians, the outcome can be, as you say, horrific.
In general I distrust too much State interference and control, but I live in the UK and I am a great supporter of our NHS. I think if these kinds of initiatives are to work there has to be a lot of public questioning allowed, and accountability.