# Private health insurance in Spain



## mike kelly (Aug 12, 2009)

Does anyone have any experience with paying for private health insurance coverage in Spain? Any tips or problems to watch out for? Is it possible to give an approximate figure for the cost of such a policy or does it vary widely?

Thanks


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

mike kelly said:


> Does anyone have any experience with paying for private health insurance coverage in Spain? Any tips or problems to watch out for? Is it possible to give an approximate figure for the cost of such a policy or does it vary widely?
> 
> Thanks


Before we answer this, have you used our search facility on this site as this topic has been covered many times before.

If you could do that first please and then come back with any subsequent questions that you may have.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mike kelly said:


> Does anyone have any experience with paying for private health insurance coverage in Spain? Any tips or problems to watch out for? Is it possible to give an approximate figure for the cost of such a policy or does it vary widely?
> 
> Thanks


We've had private health insurance for over 6 years now and have opted to keep it on even though we are now registered with the Spanish state health service, as the cost is very reasonable, we think. The company we use would be no use to you as they only cover Malaga province in Andalucia (although we are covered if visiting other areas of Spain and it also includes limited cover for travel abroad). However, for comparison purposes we currently pay €115 per month for the two of us, aged 65 and 58. 


This company doesn't increase premiums or reduce cover once you reach 65. That is one thing to look out for when comparing policies. Our insurer doesn't charge any co-payments in addition to the annual premium for any kind of consultations or treatment, nor do we have to pay any bills upfront and claim the costs back, everything is paid directly by the insurance company. Those are other things to watch out for.

You should also check the company's "cuadro medico" (the directory of hospitals, clinics and specialists they authorise you to use) to make sure the facilities you would want are available close to where you live. Look carefully at the qualifying times that you would need to wait before being covered for most kinds of treatment after taking out the policy (all companies impose these, but they may vary) and if ceiling limits are imposed for certain kinds of treatment.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

You can get a quote on this site. Don't know your circumstances but for myself 53, it comes in around €60 a month

Sanitas Health Insurance Spain - Sanitas Health Plan Spain


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## Turtles (Jan 9, 2011)

Also be prepared for previous conditions to be excluded. My wife recently needed surgery for a complaint that first occurred nearly twenty years ago, before we lived in Spain. The surgeon wrote to the insurance company insisting that the two instances were totally unrelated and just bad luck. The insurers did not agree.


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## musie (Dec 23, 2014)

Just gone with cigna 120 er out a month with 5.000euros excess for me and husband both 50 no conditions


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

musie said:


> Just gone with cigna 120 er out a month with 5.000euros excess for me and husband both 50 no conditions


How does the €5,000 excess work? Does that only relate to hospital treatment? I have to say I don't think that represents a very good deal if you have to pay the first €5,000 of the cost of any treatment before the insurance company pays up, what are you paying €120 per month for?


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Very true Lynn, bloody high excess


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## MaxJ (Oct 30, 2010)

I am about to apply for my "Certificado UE" to become a properly documented Spanish resident. I have never before been in Spain for 90 days but that is about to change. I need to take out health insurance (with no copay) but like so many others, I am wondering which is the best company to go with. I have read hundreds of the contributions here, but some of them are quite dated. I am in the Comunidad de Madrid and want insurance that will actually get me seen and treated by a doctor if I need it. A number of posters here spoke highly of ASSSA a few years ago but none of them were in or near Madrid. Because of the nature of health care, it is impossible to please 100% of people 100% of the time, and so opinion sites about health care companies offer an abundance of highly unflattering opinions of most of the major players, though I will confess that I can find nothing negative about ASSSA - though I can't find much in the way of opinions about them at all.

I wonder if anyone has any recommendations based on recent experience in Madrid or can suggest where I might go to find that sort of information.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Rabbitcat said:


> You can get a quote on this site. Don't know your circumstances but for myself 53, it comes in around €60 a month
> 
> Sanitas Health Insurance Spain - Sanitas Health Plan Spain


We insured with Sanitas during our first year in Spain but, despite not making any claims, they raised the annual premium by 11% for the renewal. That prompted us to read the policy small print more carefully and were horrified to discover that cover automatically terminated once we reached 65, by which time we might have difficulty finding an affordable alternative. We therefore looked around and switched to another company who promised life-long cover and annual increases in line with the official rate of inflation (with the exception of defined extra increases at age 60 and 70). We pay just under €2,000 a year for a couple (ages 59 and 64) and have been very pleased with the way the company (El Perpetuo Socorro, of Alicante) has handled the few claims we have made over the last six years. There is an admin charge of €2 every time your card is swiped but this doesn´t bother us.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Excellent value Skipper


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## MaxJ (Oct 30, 2010)

MaxJ said:


> I am about to apply for my "Certificado UE" to become a properly documented Spanish resident. I have never before been in Spain for 90 days but that is about to change. I need to take out health insurance (with no copay) but like so many others, I am wondering which is the best company to go with. I have read hundreds of the contributions here, but some of them are quite dated. I am in the Comunidad de Madrid and want insurance that will actually get me seen and treated by a doctor if I need it. A number of posters here spoke highly of ASSSA a few years ago but none of them were in or near Madrid. Because of the nature of health care, it is impossible to please 100% of people 100% of the time, and so opinion sites about health care companies offer an abundance of highly unflattering opinions of most of the major players, though I will confess that I can find nothing negative about ASSSA - though I can't find much in the way of opinions about them at all.
> 
> I wonder if anyone has any recommendations based on recent experience in Madrid or can suggest where I might go to find that sort of information.


Further to my post a couple weeks ago (quoted above), does anyone have any particular recommendations for health insurance in the Comunidad de Madrid, where I am shortly to become a resident?

Grateful for any anecdotal evidence that might help me to make an informed choice.

Thanks.


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