Hi my husband and I are thinking of renting in spain for a year, and I noticed on JoJo 's thread she had a problem with the hospital treating her son. If we rent for a year do we keep our european health card numbers, and if so would we get treated at a hospital should anything go wrong. My husband had some health issues so we need to be near hospitals ect: I know about the medical coverage with a helicopter co, sorry can't remember the name now. I would appreciate any information, I would'nt want to lose our NHS status. Thanking you

You will lose your NHS cover once you leave the UK. You may be entitled to reciprocal cover via your previous NI payments but EHIC is for emergencies only.

Be careful, your family's health is too important to leave to chance.

Without knowing more it is impossible to advise.

If one of you is a pensioner or on certain benefits you will be covered.
If one of you have enough NI conts you could both be covered for up to 2 and a half years in Spain paid for by the UK.

The NHS system is based on residency so if you leave to live in another country you loose that cover. However if you move back to the UK you get cover back if you can prove residency. This is easy.

I know people who have lived elsewhere for years who have just registered at the doctors and had no problems.

Thank you for your reply, my husband is retired although not yet 65, due to ill health ie triple heart bypass,2 aortic aneurysms repaired too many operations to go into detail. He seems better in a warm climate and enjoys a game of golf with a buggy, but can't walk too far, he needs checkups twice a year, but the cold and damp are getting to him. thought we would look at spain but he would need to have access to the hospitals and doctors. Would we have to pay for these?

You would have to pay privately
Of course there is private health insurance which is relatively cheap here, but it wont cover pre existing conditions

thanks for that, we had visited spain once for 5 weeks and had to get the ambulance, at that time ( I think it was 3-4 years ago) there was no charge and I think there was no charge for the hospital with our eu health cards. It sems that has changed now I find getting any kind of medical insurance very hard wonce they hear he had aneurysms that seems to be it no coverage at all, even though the doctors say it was successful. And probably will never return try telling that to the insurance companies, they don't want to know cheers

No, thats the difference in living here. You got free ambulance etc because you were here on holiday. If you live here then its a different matter unless one of you is over retirement age or sometimes if he is on disability benefit

He is on DLA I don't know if that helps and I still pay mu NI contributions as I can't work as I have to be with him, but I wanted to pay my N.I. for my pension does that help

MAYBE.

I retired from government service in UK aged 48. I was on Invalidity benefit.

The overseas branch of DHSS (Newcastle) sent me form, I think E121, which entitled me to sign on to the Spanish Heath Service.

When I got married at 66, my wife, who is 32 younger than me, also qualified as my dependant.



So Call Newcastle and ask.

Are you Ronnie Wood in disguise??????????????

Don't know who Ronnie is, but I know I am a lucky guy.

You dont know who Ronnie Wood is???

Unlike yourself, he "cant get no satisfaction" (clue)

And hey, you do seem like a lucky guy, I am thinking of part exchanging my missus for one 32 years younger when I get to your age.......

Just keep it to youself for the time being..

Thank you so much, will look into it, but does that mean you are not covered by the NHS when you return to the UK? I am a bit worried that we will lose that especially if we don't like it and leave after 6 months to return to the UK

Sorry I can't help you with that as I have never though about returning to live in UK in the 20+ years I have lived here. With every year, I enjoy being in Spain even more.

I am sure someone will be able yo answer you question, or maybe call the DWP, I am sure they will be able to help.

if you return to live there you just sign on to the NHS again

if you just visit for a holiday then you need to get a EHIC card for emergency treatment in the UK