S1 How does it work?
Apr 5th 2012, 1:26 pm
#1
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S1 How does it work?
Do the UK government reimburse Spain every year for individual medical expenses or do they just write off the Spaniards in the UK against us here?
Apr 5th 2012, 1:42 pm
#2
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Re: S1 How does it work?
Rosemary
Apr 5th 2012, 2:03 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
They are paid a set amount per person. I think they make a considerable profit out of it. I saw (can't remember where) figures which showed a profit of billions of euros per year.
Apr 5th 2012, 2:42 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
I read somewhere that the amount paid per person per year is £3000, if that's true then I guess they do make a large profit as many never need to use the health service.
Apr 5th 2012, 4:30 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
I have read that it was closer to 3500 which is comfortably more than the self employed contribution, I've always wished I knew that when I was being slagged for "stealing our health system" in Nerja.
Apr 5th 2012, 5:14 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
Apr 5th 2012, 5:27 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
In a way why I asked the question.I have a prescription that is quite expensive and even though I've needed it for the last two years and a specialist here renewed the script.My doctor is reticent to give it to me cronico.And I overheard the receptionist saying to her friend "no wonder the health service is failing when foreigners blah blah blah".I'd love to get hold of a copy of the "treaty" and drop it on her desk
I know a working Spanish person who pays over 300 euros a month for prescritions, and that is only 40 percent of the total cost.
So that alone would be over double the amount that the British gov. pay for each resident in Spain.
So you can see howthe amonts add up, and that is without counting hospital test, treatment and other necessaries.
So while that are pensioners who give a net gain to Spain, there are others that cause a loss, but on the whole I think Spain comes out in profit.
Apr 5th 2012, 7:33 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
The answer I received was that for every UK pensioner resident in Spain the sum of £3300 was paid to the Spanish Health Service.
Maybe a search would be able to find my original posting.
Apr 5th 2012, 8:56 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
I am fully registered and my monthly prescriptions cost 80c each compared with ISTR £7.80p each in the UK, although being over 60 I would have had them for free.
Apr 5th 2012, 10:27 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
I posted a while ago the answer to a letter that I wrote to the relevant authority in UK regarding UK contributions to to Spanish Health service for all UK pensioners resident in Spain and asked under the freedom of information act how much was in fact paid.
The answer I received was that for every UK pensioner resident in Spain the sum of £3300 was paid to the Spanish Health Service.
Maybe a search would be able to find my original posting.
The answer I received was that for every UK pensioner resident in Spain the sum of £3300 was paid to the Spanish Health Service.
Maybe a search would be able to find my original posting.
Apr 6th 2012, 8:46 am
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Re: S1 How does it work?
The following quote is a reprint of a thread that I posted last year and the answer I received from the Department of Health
I have often heard that the UK government contributes a sum of money to cover the health care costs of UK pensioners who are now part of the Spanish Health care system. I emailed the NHS UK asking for any information regarding this under the freedom of information act. The following is the reply I received which I thought may be of interest to this forum.
"Thank you for your email of 4 August about payments made by the UK to Spain , under European Union (EU) social security regulations. I have been asked to reply.
The regulations, which also apply in Iceland , Liechtenstein , Norway and Switzerland , govern the payment and calculation of costs relating to healthcare provided to another countries’ citizens. The UK government’s payments to Spain , to cover the cost of UK pensioners living in Spain , are calculated using an average of what it costs Spain to provide healthcare to its ‘insured’ residents. These costs are subject to scrutiny and approval by the European Commission and all member states. Once approved, the European Commission then arrange for each Member State ’s figures to be published in the official journal of the EU. This enables other Member States to calculate their payments to the Member State concerned.
The latest published figure for Spain ’s average costs, for the calendar year 2008, is 3,491.45 Euros. This is the figure used to calculate payments to Spain by all other Member States for their state pensioners resident there in that year.
In addition, the regulations also allow Member States to elect to use the actual cost of treatment provided rather than the average cost, as explained above. The UK applies a similar system to that used by Spain ; the most recently published UK average cost figure is £3,368.
Yours sincerely,
(SNIP)
Customer Service Centre
Department of Health
"Thank you for your email of 4 August about payments made by the UK to Spain , under European Union (EU) social security regulations. I have been asked to reply.
The regulations, which also apply in Iceland , Liechtenstein , Norway and Switzerland , govern the payment and calculation of costs relating to healthcare provided to another countries’ citizens. The UK government’s payments to Spain , to cover the cost of UK pensioners living in Spain , are calculated using an average of what it costs Spain to provide healthcare to its ‘insured’ residents. These costs are subject to scrutiny and approval by the European Commission and all member states. Once approved, the European Commission then arrange for each Member State ’s figures to be published in the official journal of the EU. This enables other Member States to calculate their payments to the Member State concerned.
The latest published figure for Spain ’s average costs, for the calendar year 2008, is 3,491.45 Euros. This is the figure used to calculate payments to Spain by all other Member States for their state pensioners resident there in that year.
In addition, the regulations also allow Member States to elect to use the actual cost of treatment provided rather than the average cost, as explained above. The UK applies a similar system to that used by Spain ; the most recently published UK average cost figure is £3,368.
Yours sincerely,
(SNIP)
Customer Service Centre
Department of Health
Apr 6th 2012, 1:01 pm
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Apr 6th 2012, 3:49 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
No health care, no education for the masses.
Apr 6th 2012, 10:21 pm
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Re: S1 How does it work?
Google EU healthcare costs etc and Spain spends about 2000 euros a head on healthcare. On average. (Looks about right given average (declared) income)
Perhaps there is a service charge?
Perhaps there is a service charge?
