The_Hog

I have just come home from a very frustrating trip to my local Centre de Saúde and the Social Security office.
I have received a letter from the Centre de Saúde (who I have been registered with for 3 1/2 years) asking me to attend and bring along several identification papers and my Social Security number.
I went with my wife and everything except the Social Security number because I don't have one. They have told me that I am no longer allowed subsidised appointments or medication as I don't have a Social Security number.
So, off to the Social Security offices where I explained my predicament and asked to register for a number. After a long discussion I was told that I cannot have a Social Security number because I do not work and am not in receipt of a State pension.
I am 53 years old, fully paid up with National Insurance, am STILL a UK tax payer but I am not entitled to any reciprocal health benefits in Portugal. Yet ANY Portuguese national can go to the UK and get free treatment anytime.

What a crock!

Big Ant

Yes, what wife concluded as well.
Until you are retirement age (65+ ?), the system doesn't work, so early retirees are penalised.
Best to dis-engage Residency, get the E111 (?) form sent to a UK address, and then if ill.....claim to the on vacation.

Alternatively, a private health policy....but not sure how this works for existing illnesses.

Can only worsen, as austerity bites....they will tighten and withdraw other services.

Big Ant

Mike

That is fine for emergency treatment but you are high and dry when it comes to non urgent treatment.

You would also not be entitled to routine treatment in UK as you are not a resident.

The reciprocal agreement was scrapped some time ago but it is only now the health centres are tightening up.

ouriquejan

Now you've got me all worried. We've been here for over 6 years, so it would be pointless trying to get any treatment back in England.

I have a pre-exsisting, long term illness,that is being treated and being treated very well at Faro Hospital. I have been having 6 weekly "fusions" of a drug and have not paid a cent for any treatment in the day ward. Although should I have a blood test in the analysis, then I do get charged the nominal fee.

I have to take a shed load of tablets, all of which are heavily subsidised or free, due to the nature of the illness.

Was there any clue to if you can continue with the centro de saude with your doctor, even if it's not subsidised and how much the costing would be?

steppitoe

I have heard that this measure was introduced in many EU countries some time ago and that Portugal has only just caught up.

You are only entitled to healthcare (other than emergency) if you are employed, self employed or of pensionable age in which case you get the card from the country you came from.

AFPOP have all the info.

Incidentally, it is cheaper to pay for private insurance than be on green receipts (if you are not earning enough to cover the caixa payments)!!

The_Hog

We can continue but the appointment fees are now 33.50 instead of 2.25. I dread to think how much prescriptions will now be.
I am a diabetic. In the UK I get free treatment and free prescriptions. Here I fear it will cost me around 150 Euros a month.
Mike is quite correct in his observations. What totally pee's me off is that even if I were now to return to the UK I wouldn't be entitled to the NHS!
I am so pleased I have been an honest, hard working tax payer all my life.

The_Hog

fuzatajan, if you are in receipt of ANY kind of benefit from the UK or if you are getting the State pension then these measures don't apply. It only hits those that have taken early retirement and are not working.

Big Ant

Excuse my ignorance, but can you elect to take State Pension early, or only at 65 years ?

If on Benefits or getting State Benefit, is that the only criteria ? What about private pension (aka, SIPPs), could you trigger these earlier at say 55 years ?

Moments like this, ditto Cars, it is worth doing a little count back as o Pros and Cons of PT v UK. Me still think you are happy with decision to come to PT, but the 'gloss' is for sure coming off most locations, simply countries are broke.

BA

ouriquejan

Sadly Hog, I'm like you. No benefits, left work early, as I've worked and saved like mad. I'm now 55.

I do have a small pension from my last but one employer that I could take, and I will be able to prove ill health and inablility to work. So if that's the route I have to take, then so be it. I was hoping to keep it for a while longer, but no matter.

I'll get in touch with the pension people tomorrow and just wait for my letter from the centro saude.

The_Hog

State pensions start at 65 (at the moment). You can't take them early.
Private pensions you can take at any time - you may lose out by taking them early.
It's true, matters like this do take some of the gloss off living here. It's fine if you are in perfect health - but who is?
As I understand it PT is not the only country doing this and it has stemmed from the UK which has a HUGE health bill dealing with EU nationals living in the UK.
As I said, it just riles me that as a fine, upstanding, tax paying, NI paying citizen - I get bugger all.

Big Ant

Thanks for intel.

But, check out the qualifying clauses, because you could dump 50k into a SIPP, and then take drawdown of small annuity.....and effectively qualify as a Pension recipient.

I guess for us, the Council Tax is cheap here....we pay 8% of what we did in UK, so the offset goes to Health and Car costs.

Off to Spain on bike for some light shopping and cafe !

BA

Joao

Can I just mention that at the age of 60 in UK I get free prescriptions (well for the ones I have had to have so far).
I'm pleased I did some part time work in Portugal as I got a Social Security number so got my medical costs at a lower price.
But Big Ant is right, you have to weigh up the cost of lower council tax against higher health bills and unless you are having treatment on a regular basis then the odd medical bill would be far less then the ongoing council tax bill. Having said that the cost of council tax is dependant on where you live and what you live in. Fortunately it is not going up again for 2012/2013, but I dare say there will be cut backs elsewhere to compensate.
Joao

CHOPPER

I put in a thread called Serious Scary Stuff on the 4th August 2010 re. this, when we went to renew our PT E111 cards, they explained to us at the Social Security office that the reciprocal agreement with the UK had ended and we were not entitled to the cards and eventually would be entitled to nothing if you were under 65.

gedscottish

That was the exact thread that made me take out a health insurance & soon after I even started paying segurança social

I wonder though if this is more an Algarve thing(more aware at least as so many expats there) as I know of several Brits in my area who don't pay in & are not of pension age yet still receive treatment/cheap prescriptions

Evelyn72

Just having a slightly 'bottling it' day due to my concerns about driving and then I hit on this thread...

As I understood it with regard to the disability side of illness, you could only claim if you were declared disabled when still in the UK. If, however you become 'disabled' whilst in PT, then you can't claim anything off anybody?

I've stuck a question mark on this because I'm obviously unsure.

Very worrying that if we do become ill we can't claim off either our home country or the resident country.

I must say that I am self employed but have suffered health issues and that is one reason I'm moving. Saying that, I found the treatment, or lack of it, hellish in the UK.