# Help for my Dad - Healthcare



## hopalong35 (Mar 2, 2015)

Hi all

Hope you can help

My dad wants to move to the Murcia area of Southern Spain and has around £70000 to but an apartment. I have some questions though about the concerns he has.

1. At the moment he gets a state pension and around £8000 a year pension payment - will this be enough for him to live comfortably allowing for a potential service charge of 100 euros a month

2. Will he definitely keep his state pension

3. While is is reasonably healthy for a 68 year old he has Type 2 Diabeties and a pace maker - he has a few tablets he has to take every day and is worried about how will keep getting those tablets for free as he does now

4. What would happen if he fell ill unexpectantly - does he have access to healthcare similar to the UK or would he need to pay for treatment

5. If he has to pay for treatment - what would he expect to pay a year for private healthcare?

Thanks all soo much - he really excited but the healthcare issues are making he reluctant to make that next step


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

hopalong35 said:


> Hi all
> 
> Hope you can help
> 
> ...


:welcome:

1) This is one of those 'how long is a piece of string' questions - but if he can live on that in the UK, he can live on it here - bearing in mind he'll lose any 'add on' benefits he might receive
2)Yes he'll definitely keep his pension - unless the rules change dramatically 
3,4 & 5) He'll have full access to state healthcare on the same basis as a Spanish pensioner, which means that all treatment is free. Prescriptions aren't free - generally pensioners pay 10% of the costs of the medications, capped at 8€ a month


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## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

hopalong35 said:


> Hi all
> 
> Hope you can help
> 
> ...


Hopalong great care needs to be taken here as £8000 over the coming years could convert to anything from 8000 to 12000 Euros. So plan worse case scenario.

But as long as it is a simple life then it can be done. Many of my spanish family live on less. But they of course have other family members who guarantee they do not starve. 

Also take into account winter heating (it's not always warm and sunny) and all the annoying spanish costs that he wouldn't have in the UK. As xabiachica says medicines will cost more. And will he need Brit TV? 

But some things are cheaper and of course living in a warmer climate may help him 'live long and prosper' as the great man said


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## UKinSpain (Apr 9, 2010)

As a UK state pensioner, your father will be entitled to a UK Pensioner S1 form, issued by the International Pension Centre in Newcastle. You can contact them on 0191 218 7777. The UK Pensioner S1 form will entitle him to access the public healthcare system in Spain and he will receive the same level of treatment that would be given to a Spanish pensioner. 

If your father is now planning on living in Spain permanently, he will firstly need to take out residency with the National Police. Please note that he will need to provide proof of healthcare (as stated by the S1 form) and may be asked to provide proof of income. He should therefore take along any documentation relating to the amount he receives from his state pension. He may be asked to get this translated. We also suggest he registers on the "padron" at the local town hall to access local services.

Once the International Pension Centre has issued a UK pensioner S1, he will need to take the form, together with his residency and padron certificate to the local Spanish social security office (Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social - INSS). Once registered, he will be presented with an accreditation document (either in person or through the post) which he will need to take along to the local public health centre in order to be issued with a permanent health card. He will need to present the health card in order to make an appointment with a doctor, access treatment at a public hospital and obtain prescriptions from a pharmacy. 

As a UK state pensioner, he will be entitled to pay 10%
Please see here for further information. 

Furthermore, as diabetes is classified as a serious / chronic condition, prescriptions will be capped at 4,26 euros. Further information can be found here in Spanish. 

If your father requires any specialist medication, I suggest you contact the Spanish Medicines Agency as they may be able to provide further information on cost and availability. You can write to them in English at [email protected]. I also suggested your father brings a copy of any past prescriptions / medical history translated into Spanish in order to make the process a little smoother. 

Please see www.healthcareinspain.eu and www.gov.uk/healthcare-in-spain for further information. 

I hope this is helpful.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

UKinSpain said:


> ......
> We also suggest he registers on the "padron" at the local town hall to access local services.


It's actually a *requirement *that he register on the padrón if he is living here


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Also, research tax implications, another major concern,along with healthcare.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Elderly, diabetic with a pacemaker, don't move to Spain, daft idea.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Wouldn't it be less stressful if your Dad bought a little flat and came out for long holidays( but less than 183 cumulatively) or just stayed in a hotel.
Also if he is hospitalised, can you drop everything in the UK to stay with him in the hospital, if he is unable to see to his needs, which is what you're expected to do, as the nurses don't provide personal care.
If he needs help in the home afterwards, it is available- at a cost.
It needs thinking about very deeply!
He might be worried about how he'll cope alone.


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## hopalong35 (Mar 2, 2015)

ok - I see what you mean but hopefully the below will clear up the concerns you mention (they are everything I've asked him too):

1. Firstly he is perfectly healthy - does have any ongoing issues - pacemaker fitted as a small irregular heartbeat and no issue. His diabetes is Type 2 and just is controlled by diet - but he has had it for 20 years and has never had an issue. They actually reduced his medication last month as his blood sugar levels rarely move from normal

2. He has 90K is cash - he rents a place right now that is a dump with no heating and wont spend money on it because he "doesn't own it and it would be a waste" locally a 2 bedroom flat would be around £200,000 - and in an area that you wouldn't want to walk in the day - let alone night

3. Because of the above - all he does is watch TV - being lonely is not an issue for him "he likes it". In fact living on one of the communities will actually help him

4. This was all his idea...

5. We are going out for an inspection trip to see what is what in a few weeks - which is amazing in itself as he hasn't had a passport for 18 years and within one week he has applied for it and agreed to book me and him on a flight (!)

6. He is the only person I know who makes a profit from his weekly pension!

7. My wife is a nurse

8. His best friend lives 100 miles from where is is looking and has done for 10 years

I initially though the same as you - but he has really impressed me with how serious he is - and he will do what he wants to do so all I can do is support him as best I can


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

I actually meant buy a little flat in Spain, which is possible on his budget, or a one bedroom villa on an urbanisation.
It is useful that your wife is a nurse, but as I said, could she drop everything at a moments notice, to care for him in hospital, if needed?
Hie best friend living 100 miles away isn't much help in an emergency.
Will he cope with the bureaucracy in Spain?


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## hopalong35 (Mar 2, 2015)

extranjero said:


> I actually meant buy a little flat in Spain, which is possible on his budget, or a one bedroom villa on an urbanisation.
> It is useful that your wife is a nurse, but as I said, could she drop everything at a moments notice, to care for him in hospital, if needed?
> Hie best friend living 100 miles away isn't much help in an emergency.
> Will he cope with the bureaucracy in Spain?


I think he is so fed up with his life here he just wants to do something else. He has always moved around the world and settled in various countries. Hes never been happy with how things turned out here - but I don't worry he's a resilient old ******


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

hopalong35 said:


> I think he is so fed up with his life here he just wants to do something else. He has always moved around the world and settled in various countries. Hes never been happy with how things turned out here - but I don't worry he's a resilient old ******


He sounds like he's going to make a go of it - good for him.  

Spanish healthcare is by no means as primitive or inadequate as some people here seem to be making out. There is absolutely no reason why he would be worse off here than in the UK, in that respect - in fact given some of the horror stories we are hearing about treatment of the elderly by the NHS, he's probably better off. My husband is also Type 2 diabetic, and has had excellent treatment under the Spanish state system.


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## hopalong35 (Mar 2, 2015)

Alcalaina said:


> He sounds like he's going to make a go of it - good for him.
> 
> Spanish healthcare is by no means as primitive or inadequate as some people here seem to be making out. There is absolutely no reason why he would be worse off here than in the UK, in that respect - in fact given some of the horror stories we are hearing about treatment of the elderly by the NHS, he's probably better off. My husband is also Type 2 diabetic, and has had excellent treatment under the Spanish state system.


He's always had decent treatment - but they do mess him around alot.

We're all really happy for him - he's sacrificed so much for so long to help us kids out its about time he did something for himself!


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