Roxyr

Bon Dia,
I am looking for a health insurance policy to cover requirements for my TIE application. I have received some very expensive online quotes and am hoping there are more reasonably priced providers out there.
Please help. TIA

inbarcelona

Try Sanitas....part of BUPA....and has wide coverage in Spain...
Not necessarily the cheapest, but with its wide coverage you don´t have to travel 500km for treatment.

You might get cheaper but if you have to travel to the other end of the country its not much good.

I think their costs are reasonable.

inbarcelona

What quotes have you had?

Moses2013

No idea what people pay (not a permanent resident) but if you are opening a bank account anyway, HolaBank might be an option and they have matching products https://www.spanishpropertyinsight.c...-in-the-world/

https://www.caixabank.es/particular/...nkInsurance-NA

spainrico

Already other threads running on this topic.

Roxyr

Other threads have little information, but thank you for the suggestions. I picked up, from another post Aegon as a recommendation, which are offering me the cheapest quote. However, I am not sure which policies are suitable for TIE, as it is not clear on my quote.
Sanitas are coming out a lot more expensive. Can anyone give me an idea on a 'ballpark' figure, of what I should expect to pay for a year. TIA

bolton wanderer

What is your age? Do you have any pre existing conditions? What quote have you obtained?

inbarcelona

You MUST make sure it is a policy with NO CO-PAYMENTS (like an excess) and has NO EXCLUSIONS.

And yes, although I mentioned Sanitas , somebody else said they had a good quote from Aegon.

Prices vary according to age, so sorry, I can´t help you on that one.

inbarcelona

You will probably be able to join the "CONVENIO ESPECIAL" after you have been on the Padron for a year. That is 60 euros a month if under 65 years old and 157 euros a month if you are over 65.
Once you hit UK retirement age you will be entitled to an S1 Form from DWP which basically gives you free medical care in Spain.....as long as you are resident before the end of this year.

On the other hand if you are working and paying Social Security contributions here then you will be covered by the State system here.

inbarcelona

If you do go with Aegon, make sure it has no co-payments or exclusions. That might be why the quote is cheaper.
Tell them it is required to apply for Residency.

Fred James

Also check their limitations on "prostheses" - hips, pacemakers etc. I have a friend who has a high end insurance who paid €30k personally for a defib pacemaker.

Barriej

The Aegon plan we have is this one. Got it through the bank to save the €12 a month charges.
You can choose the medical centre and for us its the Benidorm one (and there are 3 clinics in our local area on the list as well)

Aegon Salud Cuadro MédicoAsistencia médica e ingresos hospitalarios, a través del Cuadro Médico de Santander Aegon, sin copago.

Does not include pacemakers though. Will cover other heart conditions.

As I have no health issues its fine for us. My wife has Asthma and now we have had the policy for 6 months they will cover a visit to check her breathing (but since we have been here, she has had no need to use her inhaler)

Im planning on keeping the private healthcare going even once we have been resident for the year as, the private is cheaper than the convenio especial

Fred James

The big benefit of private medicine is the speed of tests and subsequent care.

The state system is good so long as you are prepared to wait months for an appointment or test. Also, the chances of seeing the same specialist the next time are pretty slim.

I have private insurance and am also into the health service. The difference is huge.

hedley_01

Does anyone know why there are different platforms online for Sanitas? I am assuming the quotes will be the same on every platform...

Lynn R

We have had private health insurance for the past 12 years (kept it on after we became eligible for Spanish public healthcare when my husband became a UK state pensioner, because of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit) but have given notice to cancel it at the end of this year.

From using the state system for the last couple of years our experience is that for standard GP appointments and anything really serious the state system is just as good. I was diagnosed with cancer last year, saw my GP to report suspicious symptoms and she made an urgent referral to a specialist, the hospital contacted me the following day to give me an appointment 2 days later. My biopsy results were back in one week, which was almost twice as fast as a previous one I'd had done in the private sector a few years earlier. An MRI scan was carried out two days after the specialist appointment where I was given my results and the treatment plan. Surgery was carried out quickly and I'm now having 6-monthly checkups for 2 years followed by annual ones for a further 3 years.

My husband did wait 5 months to see a neumologist, as a follow-up to an A&E visit, but that was more of a "just to be on the safe side" thing and he wasn't in pain or having any symptoms during that time.

As for not seeing the same specialist twice in the public system, yes I have found the same thing, but then again I have seen 5 different cardiologists in 6 years in the private system as there seems to be a high turnover in the clinics I've been authorised to use by our insurance company For me it's not really an issue as they have all been very competent. If I want to carry on seeing a cardiologist in the private sector for an annual checkup it will be far cheaper for me just to pay for that plus an echocardiogram than paying a full year's insurance premiums. If they flag up any concerns I can just ask my GP to refer me to cardiology in the public system.

On the whole, when attending appointments for tests or specialist consultations, I've been kept waiting longer in the private system than I have in the public one, although I always make a point of arriving at least a few minutes before my appointment time. It's been quite usual for me to be kept waiting for 45 minutes after my appointment time in the private sector.

Our insurance company has a limit on the amount it will pay for prostheses. When I had heart surgery in the private system just over 2 years ago, there was a possibility I would need a replacement heart valve if the surgeon could not repair my own valve (that couldn't be guaranteed until the surgery was actually under way). I had to lodge €4k with the hospital in advance to cover that eventuality (luckily he was able to repair my own valve so the insurance company covered the total cost, so that money was refunded) but that was a pretty stressful process which I could well have done without, as was chasing up the refund. At least there is none of that to contend with in the public system.