system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What's stopping me from traveling to another country and abusing their free healthcare? (from US)

Let's say I get cancer or something and don't want to go into debt for the rest of my life. Is the realistic solution to hop on a plane to Denmark, walk into a hospital and say "hey, I've got cancer."? Or apply for citizenship? At face value that seems like an easy solution to the lack of universal healthcare in America. I got food poisoning and sent to the ER one night where they did nothing but pump me full of fluids and the bills put me back more than my 3 week trip to Sweden.
gpt
No, it's usually not that simple. Most countries that provide universal healthcare will still charge foreigners for any medical treatments or hospital visits they have while visiting the country (although the cost will usually be significantly less than the US rate charged to non-insured patients). That's why travellers are usually advised to get traveller's medical insurance before going on trips to other countries.

You usually have to be at least a resident of the country before you qualify for free healthcare and sometimes you must be a citizen. It can take years to obtain citizenship in many countries but obtaining permanent residency is a little easier (though would still take months to apply for and often things like medical illnesses may disqualify you from applying).