Retiring to Spain
 

Hi Everyone

I am a newbie so please be gentle with me. I would like to retire to the Costa Blanca in the Benidorm area. I retire in June 2018 and hope to move to Spain later that year. I have lot of questions.

The main one is about my wife's medical treatment. She has Crohn's Disease and we hear that the warmer climate would beneficial. Would she still be able to get the same treatment that she gets in Scotland?

It would be great to hear from anyone with the same condition. Many thanks in anticipation.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Can I ask if you are both (or at least ONE of you) are currently entitled to 'Old Age Pension' and can get S1 health forms if you move out here?

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

You will need to get the S1 form from the DWP in Newcastle, this will allow you to sign on the social security in Spain and you will get the same level of treatment that Spanish pensioners get, it only needs one of you to be of retirement age, but you do have to tell the DWP to include both of you. Hes she should get the same treatment that she currently gets, just make sure that you take a list of any medications she is currently taking, and it would be a good idea to take a three months supply with you to cover any gap.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Hi, I agree with the other posters about the S1 healthcare forms and that you will get the required medication (when you are in the system).

I live in Benidorm, so if you need any information about the area I may be able to help.

Steve

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Hi. Thanks for quick response. Wife in receipt of state pension as will I be in July 2018

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Hi Steve.
You might regret that offer lol.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

I'm retired here so got all the time required :thumbsup::rofl:

This is a good forum and all the members will help you with truthful answers, which might not always be what you want to hear :unsure: but keep 'em coming.

Steve

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Because she is already receiving state pension then you will be covered, you just need to ensure that you are put on the S1 as a dependent.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Thanks to all that have answered. My main concern is that my wife goes to hospital every six weeks for an infusion of a drug called Infliximab for her Crohn's disease. I need to be sure it will be available in Spain thru their NHS as it is too expensive for us to pay for.
Bryan

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Thanks to all that have replied so far. I would still like to from anyone that has Crohn's.
Many thanks
Bryan

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

You might be interested in this information. It is in Spanish but you could run it through a translation site, the translation will not be perfect but it will help you to gain a general idea.

El Virgen del Rocío Descubre la Cura del Crohn: aplicando con éxito células madre a enfermos ¡COMPÁRTELO! - Guía Médica, consejos de SaludGuía Médica, consejos de Salud

Rosemary

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Thank you for that Rosemary. I will take a look at that.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Hi all,
OTA63 , I’m wondering how you got on with your crohns investigation ?
My husband and I moved from the UK with our kids back in 93 to Australia. We are considering retiring to Spain near Alicante, though to make those super funds last longer. Our 30 year old son would possibly follow us back but he is also on the infliximab routine. I’m guessing he’d need insurance for starters but I wondered if you found it easy to find a hospital & local specialist to take your wife on as a patient. My son sees hîs specialist every 6 months to be approved for 3 infusions at 8 week intervals. Being a UK citizen, he could transfer his care to be based there I suppose but no one wants to fly to London for a day in outpatients !

Thanks in advance!

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst myself and BEVS moderate Europe. Please read the Site Rules http://britishexpats.com/site-rules/ adhere to them so that the site runs smoothly. Moderators are there to ensure that the rules of BE are maintained. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Hi Shorebird
Thank you for your post. As yet I do not have any definitive answers as to treatment for my wife's Crohns in Spain. We are going to Torrevieja in September next year when we hope to visit a local doctor and get some more concrete answers. Other's on the forum have recommended bringing 3 months medication with us but this is not possible with Infliximab or Remesam (I think it's called in Spain) as this is given in an out patients clinic in hospital.
I know it is in Spain, but would my wife get it, and how do we get over the gap between her last treatment in Scotland and her first in Spain?
The problem with Health insurance is that they rarely cover (if ever) pre existing medical conditions.
All that apart, there are the possible outcomes of Brexit to consider. That said we are determined to move to Spain as early as November next year if we can find suitable long term rented accommodation and find some way round the Crohn's medication problem.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

IF the treatment is available in Spain, then your wife's EHIC should cover her for any treatment she needs in the short term. I was recently checking exactly what it does cover, and the NHS site confirms it covers treatment of pre-existing conditions. It also confirmed that it is not (as I had thought) limited to a max 3 month stay, but covers longer term stays provided they are still a temporary absence from the UK. So that should cover you until you get your permanent arrangements (whatever they may be) sorted out? As ever, this is all subject to Brexit. But if you go in November you should have at least 3 months before B-Day.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

The alleged 3 month per stay for using the Ehic is a fallacy. I recently attended a government ran workshop re the Ehic (to try and simplify it). At the workshop were officials from both department of health and Ehic workers . They were not aware of any time limit whatsoever only that it must be a temporary trip and that you retain uk residency. In fact two of those that worked within the ehicc department, one the helpline the other administrating issue of ethics mentioned that people can and do use it for living half and half between uk and other countries. The 3 month thing seems to come from the 90 day foreign residency rule. That is a seperate Spanish legal issue that does not concern the Ehic.

Re: Retiring to Spain
 

Thanks FranE and Bobd22. That info is very handy as I though the EHIC only covered emergency treatment. If my wife can get her treatment at the hospital when it would normally have been due in the UK, that will take quite a weight off our minds. Apart from deciding , well my wife anyway, as to whether she likes it there, her treatment was THE sticking point.