daisyman1951

Hi does anyone bother with this? Any stories to tell good or bad? Any recommendations?

EMR

We do not know anyone who does not have health insurance . Storiies about treatment within the PT system vary from the terrible to impressive.

daisyman1951

OK so if everyone has it could I have some recommendations for good providers please? Thank you all in anticipation.

ouriquejan

Actually, I don't have private health insurance.

And I've fouind the health service fantastic. Okay, so you may wait a week or so to see your doctor and have to pay 5 euros, but the 3 rather major operations I've had to have in the last year - all done in Faro Hospital, all different types of surgeries - have been brilliant. Well, maybe one big problem, but my doctor overcame that one

The level of care, not only in the hospital, but also in my local Centro de Saude, was second to none.

I even had one consultants mobile number, in case of any problems.

Sorry Daisyman - in answer to your question, no sorry, I can't help on that.

mfesharne

We've been here for 18 months & don't have or feel the need for any health insurance either.

Last year my wife had to be blue lighted to Coimbra hospital where she stayed for 10 days & I had a visit to Avelar Hospital a few months ago.

In both cases we got fantastic treatment which was miles better than we could have expected in the UK or RSA.

I've since been to see my GP & whilst the reception area was a bit chaotic & I had to wait a while, the Doc herself was tip top & well worth the E5 I had to pay.

Mike

If you are under the age of retirement and are not paying social security in PT then you are not entitled to treatment.
There is no longer a reciprocal agreement between UK and PT. In fact it ended in 2006 but health centres are only catching on now!
If you are over age of retirement then you will need to bring a S1 form with you to register.

Mike

The state system is near breaking point. No money and too many sick people! You might want to consider private healthcare to avoid waiting for routine treatment.

Cleri

I'm under retirement age.I am registered with the local doctor,but prefer to use the private facilities I'm insured for.We pay € 147 per month for the two of us,and pay ten percent of any costs.Therefore to see a consultant for example costs about nine euros.
We use Multicare.
There are age restrictions.
Having said that,a friend suffered a stroke five weeks ago,and was zoomed to Lisbon,where they looked after him amazingly well,the clot was located within the hour,he regained all functions again and was home in less than a week,he can't speak highly enough of his treatment.

daisyman1951

For Mike who posted earlier, taken from NHS website today: "You will be treated on the same basis as a Portuguese resident. Remember, each country’s health system is different and might not include all the things you would expect to get free of charge from the NHS. This may mean that you have to make a patient contribution to the cost of your care. If you have to make such a payment , you may be able to seek reimbursement for this cost when you are back in the UK if you are not able to do so in Portugal.

It is important that you ensure you are treated by a state healthcare provider as you will not be covered for private healthcare. You should be particularly careful if the healthcare arrangements have been made by a hotel or travel representative."

and:

"If you're receiving a UK state pension, or in receipt of long-term incapacity benefit, you may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK. You will need to apply for an E121, which you should then present to the Portuguese health authorities.

However, if you move to Portugal to live but not work and do not receive a UK benefit, you may be eligible for up to two-and-a-half years of state healthcare cover, paid for by the UK. In this case, you will need to apply for an E106.

For more details on how to apply for an E121 or E106, visit the 'Moving abroad' section.

How to register your E121 or E106
In both cases, you will need to contact the relevant branch of the Administracão Regional de Saúde. Additionally, you might be asked to provide a copy of the original E121/ E106 and a proof of identity."

gedscottish

I only have insurance for 'internimento'(Hospitalized for 24+ hours) apart from the huge cost difference we get top class service from our family doctor so need for an insurance that covers doctor appointments for us. Our insurance is with multicare. Top 2 are multicare and medis. Multicare has the biggest network of hospitals and doctors. Medis used to pip them on price but not sure that is still the case. Fidelidade and império bonança sell multicare and I think medis is via Zurich.

From one area to the next the health service can be great or terrible. For me, I have been in both public and private hospitals and it was the difference of sleeping rough or in a 5 star hotel!

As mentioned by cleri there are age limits although there is at least one company that does not have a limit.
Depends what you are after for what you will pay,do you want complete(hospitalization,small surgeries and doctors and dentists) or just for example doctors consultants?!

Cleri

Despite what ' regulations' you might read,there is also the reality.I know of an English expat who is in the same municipality as me,and they absolutely refuse to give her a health card.She even has her lawyer involved in it now
If she needs any treatment she has to go to the private hospital and pay.
This is a fact,and I don't think my practice cares what legislation is written down,they are not budging....and yet,I can be treated there if I wish,welcome to Portugal.

gedscottish

That's mental, what reason do they give? Is she under retirement age and not paying in? Saying that I know of a few people who are not paying or retired and they receive treatment just the same.

Cleri

She's like me,under retirement age,not paying in,the best part is,her husband has one
They just tell her she is not eligible as they no longer have the reciprocal agreement.

mfesharne

My wife & I are UK passport holders but live & hold residencias in Portugal.

We don't pay Portuguese social security & are both in our 50s, both are registered with our local GP here & both get Portuguese NHS free treatment without any problems at all.

EMR

A friend went to his local saude where he had received treatment for a few years and was asked for his paperwork being below retirement age and not at that time paying into the PT system he was refused further treatment.
"The times are a changing ".
We also have friends with insurance who have received exceptional levels of
care for serious conditions where they would have had to wait for months under both the NHS and PT equivalents.