scampicat

Right, I'm sure I've asked this before, but can't remember the answer and can't find the thread.

My husband and I are covered on Form E121 .It is registered at our Seguridad Social and we have health cards. My husband has had various medical treatments and has not had to pay.

I'm sure prescriptions should be free with this card. However, we always get charged at the farmacia.

What do we have to do the get the free prescriptions?

pwwm

There are two types of prescriptions, one is green and one is red, you need the red one to obtain free prescriptions.
Ask the Medico for red ones.

pwwm

crispy

Hi Scampicat

I'm too sure if my info will be correct as I pay for my prescriptions and not really genned up on it. There are two types of prescriptions red and green you pay for the green one and when you are a pensioner you get red ones these ones you don't pay for. Some peeps we know here had to pay mega money for theirs heart and cholesterol medication until they become pensioners.

Sure JDR or Fred will be along soon with the correct info.


Just seen pwwm's reply so I am sort of correct.

mikelincs

What you will get is the same service that retired people in your area get, these do differ throughout Spain, and perhaps retired people do NOT get free prescriptions in your province. They have just removed over 60,000 people from the health service here in Valencia province as they had moved elsewhere, but had remained registered at there health centre here, and were getting free prescriptions etc. They checked people against the local Padrons, so not on the padron, removed from the valencian health service.

scampicat

Thanks all for your advice; I'm pretty sure pensioners here do get them free and although we are not yet of pensionable age, we have an E121 due to my husban receiving Incapacity Benefit and in this he is treated the same as a pensioner (in fact, it says 'pensioner by virtue of incapacity' or something similar on the E121 form).

I will show the copy of the E121 to the Doc next time we see him and ask for red prescriptions.

Thanks!

Fred James

I don't think the E121 will necessarily help a lot. As far as I know you have to be registered on the state health system and have a health card. You get this from your social security office on production of your E121.

Once you are in the system you will get free prescriptions as you are by definition pensioners if you have the E121.

Incidentally here in Andalucia they no longer write prescriptions. Your health card is inserted into the doctors PC and the prescription written to the smart chip on the card. You can now have up to 6 months of drugs prescribed that way.

At the pharmacia he puts your card into his PC and issues the drugs (1 months supply at a time).

We now book our doctors appointments online as well.

scampicat

We DO have the E121 registered and we DO have a health card. We DO NOT get free prescriptions. This is why I asked the question in the first place.!

Fred James

Sorry Scampicat - I missed your point about having the card - my point was that an E121 is not enough.

Your health card should be coded to give you free prescriptions. Ask your doctor why you are not getting them and if necessary go to the local INSS office to get it recoded or your online records changed.

As I said the whole system is computerised now in Granada so it could just be a computer glitch.

scampicat

Thank you Fred.

So if we just take the cards they should re-code them?

We have to go to Motril anyway to get the E111 equivalent (who's name I've forgotten), so we could do it all hopefully on the same visit. (But sort the E121 out first)!!

mikelincs

I'm sure that for free prescriptions you need to have an SIP card, this shows you are registered on the padron and are a pensioner, no matter by what route. You need to take your social security registration to the health centre, and they SHOULD issue you with a temp SIP card, the full one should arrive within 3 months, if you are classed as a pensioner, then the SIP card will NOT have an expiry date.

jackytoo

Before the Doctor issues you with a prescription just tell him/her you are a pensionista and they will print out a red one (free). I went with someone to translate and this is what happened as she was being charged.

scampicat

Right, thanks all for your replies.

Having read then, I think the problem may be that we got the health cards before we were registered on the padron and they haven't been updated.

I know a nice bi-lingual lady who will point us in the right direction, although we will try asking the Dr first, as that is simplest.

Thanks all.

scampicat

Right - I've resurrected this thread to add further information..

We never did do anything about the free prescriptions as our INSS is two hours drive away and we got too busy. We just paid for the prescriptions.

BUT recently I had to start taking some medication (previously it was just my husband) and on my second visit the Doc told me I wasn't covered for healthcare - my husband was but not me.

I knew I was covered as my husband's dependent so went to the medical centre to sort it out. They rang the INSS who sid it was a mistake and the medical centre issued me with a form with all my details on including something that said 'farmacia gratuita'. I took this to my Doc.

This morning I have had some new medication and I got a red prescription - it was FREE! So presumably my husband's details have been updated too. We'll see next time he goes to the Docs.

If not we'll sort it out at the INSS.

Just thought this development might be useful information to someone.

poshnbucks

Hi Scampi

I just may catch you whilst you are on line my wife is over 60 and has free prescriptions ie red ones no problem there, I am 57 and have just gone through the system and attached myself onto her as her dependant I am registered with the local health centre having had my forms stampted at the INSS and am just waiting for my blue card. In short will I have to pay or will they be free.

scampicat

AFAIK if your wife's prescriptions are free then yours should be too.

I am in the same position as you - I am my husband's dependent for medical cover and I had red prescriptions this morning.