healthcare in Spain, HELP

Hello,

Im after some info for my parents. They are looking to move to the Alicante in the near future, my dad is 67 and my mam is 53. They are very confused over whether they get free entitlement to health or not. My father is on state retirement pension only, my mam will leave work in the uk and does not intend to work in Spain. Can she claim free healthcare as a dependant or can someone please inform us of what the exact situation is. We have visited the DWP site and it taks about dependant but it is unclear.

Many Thanks.

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The best thing to do is ring DWP Newcastle, other people have said they are very helpful.  

I would have thought your mam would qualify as a dependant but they are the experts and will be able to set the wheels in motion.  You need to apply for the forms etc which show your entitlement to treatment in another country.

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Hi Martin & Tracey

There's so much info on this same topic in EOS. Your mum would be classed as your dad's dependant & in the Valencian area, where Alicante is, there's free entitlement to the Spanish health system at his age. If you search for posts re healthcare by bobaol you'll find he posts a lot on the same. Bob works in the UK health system & has two properties in Spain & has been looking into this as he & his wife will be going to live in Spain within two years as I understand it. In fact my friend, Jeanette, who lives in Guardamar so in the Valencian area of Spain with her husband Richard, was telling me that Richard, who's 56 is classed as her dependant (she is 63). The plot thickens.


As Semi says ring DWP Newcastle for clarification.

(BTW If you are going to further south of Cabo Roig, I understand you are out of the Valencian area.)


This message was last edited by morerosado on 5/25/2008.

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Try this info if you cant get through...

http://www.livespainforlife.com/LivingInSpain/Health/AreYouCovered/tabid/112/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

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Does your Dad get  adult dependants allowanace on his retirmenet pension for your Mum? (it's something around an extra £35  (?)pw.)

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Hello there, 
Your parents will be entitled to free health care. they will need form 121 and your mum will qualify as your fathers dependant. My husband qualified as my dependant as I am over 60 but he is not yet 65. Not sure what happens in the Alicante area but in Murcia you need to be resident  to qualify. The Newcastle telephone number to request forms 121 is 191 2186 503. You will need NI numbers when /if you ring them. They are very helpful.

Incidentally just for reassurance the health service is very good here. My husband is in hospital in Cartagena at the moment and is receiving the best of care. 
Jean

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Hi, Can anybody help and advise us, my partner and I are not within retirement age and will not be entitled to state pension for another 10 years, does that mean that we would have to pay private health insurance until we can receive free health care in Spain, we are looking to live there, and do not intend to work, any help or advise would be helpful.

Thanks
Gill

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We will need to know where you will live in Spain before anyone can give you an answer about health care.

Some regions offer basic health care free whilst others only to those who have reached retirement age.

Post more information and then we can help.

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Hi, Thanks as you can see i'm new to all this, we will be living in the region nr Murcia - at first we are just taking out caravan over to stay in for approx 12-18 months, in which time we intend to purchase a property.  I did have a house in Torrevieja but sold it last year, we are maybe going to stay at La Manga caravan site, or in Totanta, but that area.  Hope thats a help.

Thanks
Gill

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Hi Gill, I have no personal experience of this, only what I have read on the web but I'm sure someone else will correct me if I'm wrong.

First point of contact is the number for Newcastle given earlier, you need a form/letter to say that you will be contracting out of the UK health system, this you will hand over to your nearest Salud when you come over to Spain.

Murcia is still a grey area with regard to free health care, a promise was made around election time that it would be forthcoming but I don't know how soon it's going to be.  If you were still in Torrevieja (Valencia region) then you would get it, my previous neighbours were in the same position as you and they got it when they first moved in.  They have since moved to Xativa, near to Valencia as got their sip card there as well.

You should apply for residencia as soon as you can, system has changed recently and you can't sign on the Padron until you can provide proof that you are applying for residencia.

Your EHC will tide you over until you get yourself sorted.  Some people recommend as you only get basic cover you take out private insurance.

I'm not sure how you will effected by the fact that you will living on a caravan site to begin with, it might imply a non permanent residence.  From what I've read it all depends on whose dealing with your case when you go to register, some are helpful others are not.  

Also 2010, the pension rules change reducing the number of years you need for a full pension, get a forecast now to see if you have 30 years of credits.  Worthwhile looking a site as a number of things are changing from that date.

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Having spent most of the day trying to see a doctor, I thought I would add this.

I'm in Orihuela Costa and have got my E106 from Newcastle which gives me full spanish health care until 2010.  I need my residencia to get my padron to get my E106 accepted and am just about to run out of my blood pressure medication!  

You can buy some meds here over the counter but not Bendroflumethiazide so I had to go to the Health Centre.  I got my temporary SIP card no problem and an appointment for 3.30 today to see el medico.  The receptionist told me that I needed an interpreter if I couldn't speak Spanish - and said he shouldn't be telling me this in english!!  So I spent lunchtime writing out everything I needed to say and off I went.  I waited one and three quarter hours to be seen and when I was eventually seen he spent 5 minutes typing a letter without looking at me!!  Needless to say, by this time my blood pressure was up so he gave me a prescription for new meds.  The only bonus was that 2 different sets of tablets cost me 80 cents!  

So, am currently using my alternative medication (from the red bottle) to calm down and continue to adjust to life in lovely Espana!!

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Hi Claire, 
Our experience of the Spanish health care is totally different. We made an appointment for my OH and saw the GP within 10 minutes. She examined him and the practice nurse then did an ECG. 
We were immediately sent to the hospital in Cartagena where he was again seen by the doctor in minutes. He was admitted for observation within half an hour having had  a further ECG. examination , blood tests and chest x-ray.
After 48 hours he was transferred to the cardiac ward and after being stabilised he received an angiogram and angioplasty. He was dicharged the following day and is now taking loads of tablets prior to an operation being carried out in Murcia in about a month. 
Despite his total lack of Spanish he had no difficulty at the hospital and the treatment he received was absolutely first class.

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Hi Ayrez - glad to hear you got such good service and I hope your OH gets better soon.

I think there may be a big difference between acute services and routine stuff.  You were obviously a priority and got the care you needed.  I spoke to a man in the health centre yesterday who had just come out of hospital after cancer surgery and he said the hospital care was wonderful and all the doctors spoke english - the nurses didn't however and he said the food was awful - but he was full of praise for the actual treatment which is what really matters.  However, he sat for just as long as me, the day after being discharged after major surgery, to get a prescription!

It seems to me that there are some parts of the service which work really well and others which don't - much like what I'm used to in the UK!!

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Hi Claire,

I agree with what you say about priority but to be honest evertyone I saw at A&E was only waiting a short time and they called patients on the intercom every few minutes. Your problem relates to GP services and ours is really good. Must just be the health centre and GP. You will just have to move to Murci (only joking). 
Jean

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Hi,  New to this forum, we are looking to move to Murcia region sept/oct this year to live, it does sound like the health system is very good within that region from what you are saying, we are not within pensionable age just yet, so we will have to reply on the EHIC card for two years and then I suppose take out private medical insurance,  I have to regularly take blood pressure pills and thyroxine, would I still have to pay for my prescriptions??? Thanks Gill

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Search "bobaol"'s posts as he is very informative on this, fluffbag.

Also search "healthcare" where you'll find endless info.

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First, there are two kinds of treatment: urgent and planned. For urgent treatment you only need your "blue card". 
If you are over 65 or have residencia epadronementio NIE and all that., you could get a teporary SIP card that gives you full treatment. If you plan to move to Spain, bring the E121 from your hometown and get a spannish health security number. Then you can get a permanent SIP and a Spannish "blue card" for urgent treatment in EU. But rules changes all the time.  Ask at registration office in your local health center. (Centro salud)

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Hello, please can you help me I am trying to find out how to search for "babaol" posts but do not have any luck, what am I doing wrong.

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fluffbag, click on "search forums" above to your right, choose bottom oblong box & type "bobaol" NOT BABAOL !!!

Here's the link to all his posts anyway, just click on this blue link.   BOBAOL POSTS


This message was last edited by morerosado on 6/1/2008.

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