labus

Hi,

As the previous topic about health care in Spain lost interest in the main subject and even though I got some feed back from the participants I would like to gather information from more different sources (different parts/cities of Spain) so that I can do an average cost.

The facts:
My wife and I are retired, with no pension for at least 10 more years but we are self-sufficient.

If we intend to take permanent residency how can we solve the health care issue, taking in consideration that we don't have any coverage from the original country part of EU?
Any chance to get anything else but private insurance?

If private is the only solution, how much is expected to cost? Please include in your post the city/town/village/region and the extend of the coverage.

Thanks

Mitzyboy

Not that I need to contribute more, but Sanitas is the same rate all over Spain, so it doesnt matter if its in Valencia or Galicia :-)

whitelinen

Never forgetting that pre-existing conditions will not be covered and there is a 6 or 8 month wait until cover kicks in.

Mitzyboy

Not with Sanitas, no. I declared minor pre existing such as a broken nose and shoulder decompression. One was accepted and another wasn't. The general cover existed from day 1

whitelinen

Out of curiosity I just looked at the website and the classic is 240 days waiting time.

I have the Classic plan and clearly remember a six month waiting period.

Which plan do you have?

Mitzyboy

I have classic, but at the time I submitted details of my past medical records and was given a written assurance that cover was effective from day one, apart from the details that I mentioned before

cymruambyth

Geographically, the problem is not getting the insurance cover, but getting access to English speaking doctors (or even Spanish ones for that matter)etc. If you live in a small village high in the mountains and are insured through [for instance] Sanitas, you cannot just use the local village [Spanish] doctor but would probably have to drive towards the coast (in our case 50 minutes) to use a Sanitas "approved" one.

Fred James

Yes that's a good point.

Before signing up for insurance it is worth checking just which doctors and clinics will be available. Most companies publish this information either in booklet form or online.

Also make sure you can get a copy of the policy document in English and read the exclusions very carefully.

Another consideration is what happens to the cover and the premiums when you reach 65.

I use a company called Prevision Medica but this only is of any use if you live in Malaga province or close by. They charge about €1200 for both of us with no restriction or premium loading at 65.

LittleWeed

Private cover may be the simplest way to go. However, given the circumstances you describe there are couple of options for access to the public health system.

In Galicia and (now also I believe) in Cataluña all residents of the region have public health cover.

In the Valencia, Murcia, Madrid and La Rioja, regional legislation passed over the last couple of years means that once "on the system" people have public health cover indefinitely regardless of their affiliation to the Social Security system.

The Government has announced that they plan to change the system in November to be make access to public health care completely universal. How this will affect foreign residents isn´t yet clear.

Out of interest have you already decided which region to Spain you plan to move to ?

snikpoh

This is not my experience (Valencian region). A friend was 'in the system' and paying SS (employee and employer), he was set up with a SIP card - all was fine. Then he lost his job and a few months later lost his health cover. He enquired why and how he could get it back only to be told that he would either have to get another job or go private!

Mitzyboy

I can say with certainty that hasnt happened here, 80 kms South of Valencia

When I came off our E106 period when we were "in the system" we were then on our own.

My wife is pensionable age now, and it still took 7 months before we actually got back on the system because of beaurocratic blunders

Brano77

[QUOTE=LittleWeed;8857266]In Galicia and (now also I believe) in Cataluña all residents of the region have public health cover.
QUOTE]

If this is the case in Galicia I would like more information please. We are early retirees, not entitled to an E106 and have been told locally that until one of us reaches UK retirement age we cannot have public health cover.

We are therefore members of Sanitas but it could well be argued that it is not particularly "good value for money" in our area.

LittleWeed

Although he would loses his cover under the terms of the Spanish State Social Security system, the Valencia Regional Government passed a law in 2008 which extends the health cover indefinitely for anyone "en baja" from any of the Social Security regimes.

Here´s name of the law;

Ley 6/2008, de 2 de junio, de la Generalitat, de Aseguramiento Sanitario del Sistema Sanitario Público de la Comunitat Valenciana;

The relevant section is Capitulo IV, Articulo 9;

"Afiliados a la Seguridad Social en situación de baja de cotización por cese en la actividad laboral en cualquiera de sus regímenes, y los beneficiarios de los mismos."

A similar move was made in the other PP controlled regions I mentioned. The aim was to ensure that people who became unemployed didn´t lose their health cover.

Here´s description of how the process should work;

http://emptydeckchair.com/blog/?p=10

LittleWeed

My mistake - I should have made it clear that this only applies to people who have at some point been affiliated to the Spanish Social Security system.

LittleWeed

[QUOTE=Brano77;8857761] Galicia passed as law in 2008 which guarantees access to public health care for anyone living in the region. Here´s a link to the law (see Articulo 4);

http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_d...8-2008.t1.html

Here´s how it was reported at the time in the Voz de Galicia

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/galicia...03_7172087.htm