# Prescription charges.



## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

Hi-- Wondering if anyone can sort me out!
I have private health insurance which I use for GP visits-- and I pay for all my prescriptions. I also have a green spanish medical card.Someone said that I was entitled to free prescriptions as a pensioner with a green heralth card even though I was using the private health system. Does anyone know if this is true please-- and if so how do I actually either get free prescriptions or reclaim the money.???? Many Thanks!!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

zilly said:


> Hi-- Wondering if anyone can sort me out!
> I have private health insurance which I use for GP visits-- and I pay for all my prescriptions. I also have a green spanish medical card.Someone said that I was entitled to free prescriptions as a pensioner with a green heralth card even though I was using the private health system. Does anyone know if this is true please-- and if so how do I actually either get free prescriptions or reclaim the money.???? Many Thanks!!


I don't know if the medical cards are the same everywhere, so can't comment


but if you're a resident pensioner you should get red prescriptions, which means just about everything is free

a green prescripton you have to pay something

I don't know about private prescriptions & pensioners - I'd use the state health care if I were you for routine stuff (well,_* I *_would use it for everything) & save the private scheme if I needed a test or op done more quickly than under the state system


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

Sorry-- I don't think I was clear-- I have my tarjeta sanitario and am fully entitled to use the state Spanish health system.- but for various reasons use my private health cover to access a GP.I think the tarjeta is the same through Spain.- but could be wrong.As my prescriptions are private I suspect it's a case of
possibly being able to reclaim the money.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

zilly said:


> Sorry-- I don't think I was clear-- I have my tarjeta sanitario and am fully entitled to use the state Spanish health system.- but for various reasons use my private health cover to access a GP.I think the tarjeta is the same through Spain.- but could be wrong.As my prescriptions are private I suspect it's a case of
> possibly being able to reclaim the money.


well ours are called SIP cards, so as I said, not sure if they are the same everywhere


I don't know if you can reclaim what you have paid - logically you should be able to I reckon

I would say your best bet would be to ask your insurance company


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

zilly said:


> Sorry-- I don't think I was clear-- I have my tarjeta sanitario and am fully entitled to use the state Spanish health system.- but for various reasons use my private health cover to access a GP.I think the tarjeta is the same through Spain.- but could be wrong.As my prescriptions are private I suspect it's a case of
> possibly being able to reclaim the money.


I had a friend in a similar situation who used to get her prescriptions from her "private" medico and then take them to the state consultorio to get them authorised. So this might work, if you register with a state system doctor as well.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> I had a friend in a similar situation who used to get her prescriptions from her "private" medico and then take them to the state consultorio to get them authorised. So this might work, if you register with a state system doctor as well.


this is where I got confused:confused2:

zilly is presumably already registered with a state doctor, since he has a state tarjeta

so why not just get the prescriptions from there in the first place


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

My ex was a "pensionista" not because of age but as he was retired on medical grounds and so had the same entitlement as you and free red prescriptions from his state health gp.

For some conditions he used an english private gp out of preference becaues this guy had specialist knowledge of his condition. This private GP remained in contact with his state GP and would ask them to issue prescriptions so that he didnt have to pay.

Sadly the private gp cannot give you any kind of free prescription so your best bet is that they liaise with your state gp over it. In spain, unlike the UK, the state and private sectors do tend to work quite well together!


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

Thankyou both of you!
It's really not a major issue-- I'm very grateful for your thoughts.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

steve_in_spain said:


> My ex was a "pensionista" not because of age but as he was retired on medical grounds and so had the same entitlement as you and free red prescriptions from his state health gp.
> 
> For some conditions he used an english private gp out of preference becaues this guy had specialist knowledge of his condition. This private GP remained in contact with his state GP and would ask them to issue prescriptions so that he didnt have to pay.
> 
> Sadly the private gp cannot give you any kind of free prescription so your best bet is that they liaise with your state gp over it. In spain, unlike the UK, the state and private sectors do tend to work quite well together!


Yes, that was the experience my friend had too (see above). She went to a private clinic because they had an in-house cardiologist, but there was no problem getting the state doctor to issue free prescriptions.


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## PokAlice (Mar 8, 2011)

My Spanish mother and father in law use private doctors and if the medicine prescribed is expensive they will often go to their public GP, show them the prescription and see if the public GP will prescribe the medicine (which it seems they often agree to). So I agree with the above posters who suggest this is worth a try.


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