Porth

Good afternoon we live in France and have done so for many years. Thus well-immersed in the system with the State paying up to 70% or so and with top up insurance taking over the rest. However some individuals benefit if that is the word 100% cover due to illness of long duration.

We have now sold our houses in France and currently renting. However following a visit to Calpe and Javea last October and where we both have family and friends are now considering a long term (is it 11 months) before buying.

Is there please a definitive document that one can look at for Health Provisions in Spain for we need to both get it right and to better understand before we commit. I have no doubt that so other questions will arise so do hope you will understand!

best wishes

Sue

Hi Porth,

Welcome to BE!! I hope you enjoy being part of our community.

I can't help with your query as I am in the US, but I've moved your thread into our Spain forum for you and I'm sure someone will be along soon who can share their experiences.

In the meantime have a read through the other threads and get to know everyone

snikpoh

I think it's really very simple now (??)

If you are working in Spain then either you or your employer will have to make SS payments - some of this goes towards health provision for you and your family.

If you are a UK pensioner in receipt of a UK state pension, then you are covered for reciprocal health care in Spain (as you would have been in France).

If you are not in receipt of a UK state pension, then you will need private health cover.

Where it gets complicated is with disability allowance etc.

Anyway, that's how I see it for new comers to Spain.

Porth

Thanks for that we do have reciprocal agreements here in France so I suppose it is back to Newcastle and for them to re-issue for Spain. In France we have CPAM and which deals region by region with health issues. It is state run. In Spain is it correct please that Region(s) are responsible for health? If so please where does one go in either Calpe or Javea to register or is it further afield.

So grateful

Porth

Hi just a thought and perhaps someone is thinking of moving from Spain to France. That being the case will be more than happy to help

lynnxa

everything is dealt with hyper-locally at the INSS offices - not sure about for Calpe, but for Jávea it's dealt with in Denia

you need to get the S1 from Newcastle - & in order to register as resident (which you have to before you can access state healthcare) you will also have to show proof of income

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Porth

You are most kind and as I say if I can help anyone going the other way to France just let me know

best wishes

redmum89

Hi! We're moving to Spain - Aragon in a few months and I just have a few queries over health care. My husband is diabetic and takes a lot of medication. How much do prescriptions cost in Spain?

Lynn R

Welcome to the forum. Firstly, are either your husband or yourself in receipt of a UK state pension? If you are not, then you would not be able to sign on the register of foreigners (a legal requirement if you are here for over 90 days) without providing proof of income and also of private medical insurance cover. For anyone with a long term condition such as diabetes, that could be very difficult if not impossible to obtain. Not only do insurance companies exclude pre-existing conditions, they can also claim that other conditions are linked to the underlying condition and refuse to pay for treatment.

If you are of pension age, then you need to obtain an S1 form from the DWP in the UK which will enable you to receive treatment in the Spanish state health system.

I can't help with the cost of prescriptions as I need to have private medical insurance myself and pay the full cost of any medications I need (thankfully very rarely!) but I'm sure someone else on the forum can help with that.

Pocaloca

If you are covered by the State system (e.g. if you are pensioners, covered by the S1 agreement, or working and paying SS contributions) they are very cheap. No pensioner pays more than €8 a month in total for prescriptions unless they have a very large income. (They were free until recently!)

redmum89

Hi, sadly, we are not pensioners! I know healthcare is free, but it's the medication I'm worried about. We can take it with us, to last us a while, but at some point, we'll have to access the Spanish system.We pan to become resident within 3 months, so that we can access the healthcare system, but what I'd like to know is how much prescriptions cost for medication. Thanks.

Rosemary

The price will depend on the medication. There is no standard charge for each item.

Rosemary

Pocaloca

Once you are covered by state healthcare your prescriptions are cheap. My partner's father is diabetic and his meds cost about €2 a month (Metformin and statins).

Otherwise you have to pay the full price, which are often cheaper on the internet. Google your brand of meds and you can check what they cost.

Domino

that is an openended question, all depends on the item(s) concerned.

we are all used to the UK payment system for prescriptions of about £7.50 per item - out here it is based on the cost of the item and it is surprising how low some of them are.

and remember that if you have an S1 from DWP then you will be entitled to a discount on the list price as the NHS will contribute.
in the year prior to getting my pension I was getting a 90% discount.

have you tried a google.es search for the items you need to see if they come up with prices ??

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