<p>My understanding re: insurance for foreigners in the US who come from 2-3 different western European countries is that their insurance covers them while they are abroad, but at the home rate. Since medical care in the US is generally a lot more expensive, there can be a wide gap, so supplemental coverage is required. But I do believe they can receive that supplemental coverage through the government.</p>
<p>Also universal health coverage in the countries I’m familiar with doesn’t cover everything. It is wonderful if you have an emergency situation (heart problems, appendicities, etc.) or a chronic disease or handicap, but anything that might vaguely be considered elective is covered at a much lower rate (eye surgery, carpal tunnel, joint replacement, etc.) unless it is truly extreme. MIL had cataract/lens replacement surgery and would have had to pay a chunk out-of-pocket were it not for her private supplemental policy which covered the difference. She knows people who do not have the supplemental insurance who only have had one eye done because that’s all they can afford. FIL was diagnosed after exploratory surgery with pancreatic cancer and spent a month unconscious (never really regained consciousness after surgery) in a nursing facility before passing away. The only bill to be paid was for bottled water.</p>
<p>A friend gave birth to a severely brain-damaged child who nonetheless lived for 18 years. Not only was all his medical care completely covered, she received a rent subsidy for a larger apartment allowing her to have a live-in care giver so she could work. It was a godsend while he was alive. She had some difficulty coping afterward because not only did the child die quite suddenly, but then she lost the rent subsidy and had to move almost immediately.</p>