Re: Health Care
 

UK in rack and ruin? You'll love Spain then! :rofl: Buena suerte, lo necesitará.

Re: Health Care
 

Agree somewhat but why do you expect free medical care? Your health is your responsibility and noone elses so just cough up and get yourself some medical insurance. Its cheap enough and the sooner you start the cheaper it is.
Strangely free medical care, education, welfare and pensions are seen by most Brits as a right. I have lived in countries where this situation does not exist and people survive but have a completely different attitude towards personal responsibility. We are extremely lucky to have those things even if it costs the country far more than it can afford.

Re: Health Care
 

it's a different country - & therefore a different system



precisely - Spain is very different

as I'm sure you know, until very recently - last year in fact - even Spanish nationals living in Spain didn't get state healthcare unless they were working & paying into the system - it's a contribution based system essentially

that has changed now - with 6 million unemployed at the time the govt clearly had to do something to look after them.

there are no real state benefits - unemployment is time-limited, & after that runs out there is minimal help - something like 425€ a month - entire families live on that


education is still free - but we have to pay for school books, paper, pens, paint for art class etc etc - some schools ask for donations of loo paper

Re: Health Care
 

If the original poster thinks it is so unfair then please come to France and where an amalgam of Spain is in place. The State pays say between 70/75% of most things like bloods xrays Consultants hospitalization medications physio prescriptions. Whatever.

The balance is payable either through your employer and his costs or by what we call top-up to cover the shortfall. That depends upon age and is not governed by serious long term illnesses and which are covered at 100% .

I know of a couple here in their late 60's paying 172 euros a month for cover. The state is reducing the 70/75%. so the top up increases.

Without scoring points I have 44 years NI contributions and for that the UK should look after me. If I go to France I expect to pay a contribution and that contribution being established before I left the UK. Then to Spain exactly the same my problem with Spain the medication is not available for cost reasons it is available 100% in France. My husband and I pay almost 200 euros per month for insurance but boy or boy does the health system look after you. Some people do not take out insurance they put aside what the costs would be and save it. Not for me I am afraid.

I do not expect either France or Spain to care of me without a contribution on a personal level. Then of course if you remain in the UK your contribution are NI contributions. No such thing with respect as a free lunch.

Re: Health Care
 

You are in your early 40s, you have another 25 years work to go yet!

You are not nearly rich enough to retire, move to a new country and afford all that goes with that

15k euros per years means you would be living in poverty, hardly a good lifestyle whether you pay for your medical cover or not. You are not nearly as well off as you think you are

Re: Health Care
 

That of course is the thinking of most people, if you emigrate, you accept the status quo in the country you are moving to. I simply fail to see this "I´ve been paying x number of years and the UK should continue to fund my healthcare where ever I emigrate to" logic. :confused: The day I ceased paying my private health insurance was the day my cover stopped, perhaps I should have asked them to continue covering me based on my previous 25 years of contributions. The UK is very generous with it´s benefits, free health care etc, but it´s a sad fact that very few countries are as generous.
No sabes lo que tienes hasta que lo pierdes.
To answer the OP, no, the state doesn´t keep me, never has, never will, we´re comfortable thanks, after retiring early I´m glad to say my pensions, my other incomes come to a lot more than £15k, despite having no mortgage or rent to pay we would probably struggle on that.

Re: Health Care
 

It seems almost cruel to upset you any more, but actually the UK Government will not pay for your healthcare in Spain (or pay whatever state pension you will be entitled to) until you are 67.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/201...te-pension-age

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Have they started mentioning how many (more) years of paying NI are now required to get a full state pension?

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By the time someone currently aged 42 reaches the age of 67, Lord knows how many years of contributions might be needed! Considering all the changes introduced in the last 10 years, anything could happen during the next 25.

Seriously, unless the OP's stated joint income of 15K (he doesn't say whether that's pounds or euros) is index linked, if they need to live on that and only that for the next 25 years, they are going to have big problems. We came here knowing that we could spend a bit less than that per year, but only for a 10 year period until the majority of our pensions become payable.

Re: Health Care
 

I suspect they expect free medical care because that is the system in the UK, but it is only in the UK, so if they want free medical care, then stay in the UK and not move to another country. The UK is the only country that operates like that. You want to move to Spain, you fall in with the requirements of your new country, same as moving to other countries. I AFAIK the UK was the only country giving free medical cover for the first two years when you moved over, from other countries it was get into the Spanish system and start paying. The Spanish health service is extremely short of cash, and people on here have stated that it can be difficult to get many drugs, and impossible to get the newer more expensive ones, so you do need to do a lot of research before making any decision.

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Oh dear, it's already started!:eek:


http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...tumn-statement

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"Retirement " is a word that should be removed from the dictionary.
I doubt that many will " retire " in future they will just reach an age where physically they can no longer work.
As announced this morning the state Pension qualifying age will increase to 67 and is expect to rise to 70 for those currently in their 30.s.
With other changes proposed that will make it less advatageous to take an earlier private pension it is a bleak future that those with low earnings face.

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After today's Autumn statement, those in their 40s will now have to wait till 68 for their state pension!

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:goodpost: :rofl::rofl::rofl:

This is entertaining I must say!

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in their 20's it will be 69.. possibly a good number.. :lol: