# Health Insurance ?



## llamudos (Jan 31, 2016)

Evenin all (Dixon of Dock Green ) . Now probably like quite a few people on here ,we are planning to come to Spain in 2017 ,but also like others I am holding my breathe till 23/6 ( don't worry its not another brexit thread ) .I am planning for the worse and to that end I thought it prudent to enquire about Health Insurance as that could be one of the things to go if we pull out . 
So as a 67 year old with a wife ,who is younger (lucky dog ),I contacted one of the companies on this site , I was gob smacked when the guy on the other end of the phone said he could cover us for ,(wait for it ) 800 euros a month I am a ridiculously healthy and active person and the wife has mild arthritis . Is this the price others pay / if so it wipes out one of my pensions , and how do others afford it? 
I know I am basing this on only one quote but if that's the standard another quote wont be much cheaper , please assure an old man that this was just an over active salesman trying to meet all his monthly targets in one sale .

Regards eo you and those you love John and Karen


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Contact DWP in Newcastle prior to residing in Spain, they will provide you with a form S1, I think, because you are an OAP you can get free health care in Spain, for you and your dependent wife, there is a small charge on prescriptions.

Re June 23rd, whatever the outcome I suspect that U.K. will remain in the EU, too many unelected snouts in the trough to allow an easy exit.

That quote sounds a rip off, try a Spanish company.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

llamudos said:


> Evenin all (Dixon of Dock Green ) . Now probably like quite a few people on here ,we are planning to come to Spain in 2017 ,but also like others I am holding my breathe till 23/6 ( don't worry its not another brexit thread ) .I am planning for the worse and to that end I thought it prudent to enquire about Health Insurance as that could be one of the things to go if we pull out .
> So as a 67 year old with a wife ,who is younger (lucky dog ),I contacted one of the companies on this site , I was gob smacked when the guy on the other end of the phone said he could cover us for ,(wait for it ) 800 euros a month I am a ridiculously healthy and active person and the wife has mild arthritis . Is this the price others pay / if so it wipes out one of my pensions , and how do others afford it?
> I know I am basing this on only one quote but if that's the standard another quote wont be much cheaper , please assure an old man that this was just an over active salesman trying to meet all his monthly targets in one sale .
> 
> Regards eo you and those you love John and Karen


I did make the point on one of the Brexit threads, when people were saying that if the UK ceased to pay for the healthcare of British pensioners living in EU countries they would just get private health insurance, that if you are applying for health insurance for the first time once you are over the age of 65 the premiums were likely to be prohibitively expensive, and so you have found. 

Depending on which area of Spain you are interested in moving to, I would recommend contacting a smaller, Spanish company rather than one of the big names. My husband and I have kept on our private health insurance after he turned 65 18 months ago, in part to find out what happens in the referendum. He is now 66 and our premiums this year for the two of us are €120 per month, but that is because we already had the policy and the company we are with does not hike up the premiums once a policyholder turns 65, unlike many others. Our insurers are Prevision Medica, but they only cover Málaga Province and part of Cordoba province. If we applied as new customers I know the premiums would be higher, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be €800 per month!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Just to illustrate the higher costs of health cover for the over 65s, you only have to look at the convenio especial charges (the arrangement by which people who have been registered as residents in Spain for at least one year can pay for Spanish state healthcare). It costs €60 per person per month for those under 65 but rises to €157 per person per month for those aged 65 or over - and that doesn't include the cost of prescription medicines.


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## llamudos (Jan 31, 2016)

Lynn R said:


> I did make the point on one of the Brexit threads, when people were saying that if the UK ceased to pay for the healthcare of British pensioners living in EU countries they would just get private health insurance, that if you are applying for health insurance for the first time once you are over the age of 65 the premiums were likely to be prohibitively expensive, and so you have found.
> 
> Depending on which area of Spain you are interested in moving to, I would recommend contacting a smaller, Spanish company rather than one of the big names. My husband and I have kept on our private health insurance after he turned 65 18 months ago, in part to find out what happens in the referendum. He is now 66 and our premiums this year for the two of us are €120 per month, but that is because we already had the policy and the company we are with does not hike up the premiums once a policyholder turns 65, unlike many others. Our insurers are Prevision Medica, but they only cover Málaga Province and part of Cordoba province. If we applied as new customers I know the premiums would be higher, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be €800 per month!


Thanks for the contact for your insurance people ,just had a quote of €132 which is much more like it ,it was for the Malaga Province but that's roughly where we want to be ,that's such a relief ,again Thank You


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## llamudos (Jan 31, 2016)

Hepa said:


> Contact DWP in Newcastle prior to residing in Spain, they will provide you with a form S1, I think, because you are an OAP you can get free health care in Spain, for you and your dependent wife, there is a small charge on prescriptions.
> 
> Re June 23rd, whatever the outcome I suspect that U.K. will remain in the EU, too many unelected snouts in the trough to allow an easy exit.
> 
> That quote sounds a rip off, try a Spanish company.


thanks ,I was familiar with the system of getting the S1 thanks to this forum ,my concern was ,what if , etc . 

I agree an exit is unlikely but I just needed to cover all bases.

The quote does appear to be a rip off as I have contacted a Spanish company as used by Lynn R and have had a very favourable quote

Thank you


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

llamudos said:


> Thanks for the contact for your insurance people ,just had a quote of €132 which is much more like it ,it was for the Malaga Province but that's roughly where we want to be ,that's such a relief ,again Thank You


Oh good! Hopefully you won't need it if the vote on 23 June goes the right way, but if you do I have always found them a very good company to deal with, extremely quick to authorise whatever tests or treatment we've required. There are no co-payments involved for any kind of treatment and the bills go straight to the insurance company so you don't have to pay out anything upfront and claim it back.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

Why are you even considering private health care if you are in receipt of a UK state pension then you are entitled to Spanish state health cover which is far better than anything you can buy from an insurance company anyway.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

chris&vicky said:


> Why are you even considering private health care if you are in receipt of a UK state pension then you are entitled to Spanish state health cover which is far better than anything you can buy from an insurance company anyway.


I think the OP was looking at every angle and to see what the cost would be if UK leaves Europe and that Spanish healthcare is no longer available to those pensioners from a country no longer in Europe. Of course, we don't even know if that will be the case should Brexit happen.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

thrax said:


> I think the OP was looking at every angle and to see what the cost would be if UK leaves Europe and that Spanish healthcare is no longer available to those pensioners from a country no longer in Europe. Of course, we don't even know if that will be the case should Brexit happen.


Exactly. I thought the OP had explained that quite clearly in his original post.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

chris&vicky said:


> Why are you even considering private health care if you are in receipt of a UK state pension then you are entitled to Spanish state health cover which is far better than anything you can buy from an insurance company anyway.


Sorry, but don´t agree with that. My optician diagnosed a cataract and gave me a letter to take to my GP. I was told that the cataract was still not bad enough for me to be put on the public health waiting list (vision has to be less than 50% of normal WITH the aid of glasses and mine was only 40%). Once on the waiting list I was told I would be lucky to get the op within six months. Consulted my insurance company (even though there is an exclusion for cataracts in the policy) and they agreed to arrange a private op for me at a highly discounted rate. Saw the doctor on Tuesday morning, had the op the following Monday morning and can now see perfectly again. I agree that Spanish State healthcare is excellent for emergency treatment but there are long waiting times for elective procedures and private health insurance is therefore, in my opinion, still worth having.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

The Skipper said:


> Sorry, but don´t agree with that. My optician diagnosed a cataract and gave me a letter to take to my GP. I was told that the cataract was still not bad enough for me to be put on the public health waiting list (vision has to be less than 50% of normal WITH the aid of glasses and mine was only 40%). Once on the waiting list I was told I would be lucky to get the op within six months. Consulted my insurance company (even though there is an exclusion for cataracts in the policy) and they agreed to arrange a private op for me at a highly discounted rate. Saw the doctor on Tuesday morning, had the op the following Monday morning and can now see perfectly again. I agree that Spanish State healthcare is excellent for emergency treatment but there are long waiting times for elective procedures and private health insurance is therefore, in my opinion, still worth having.


Yes I agree, that is another of the reasons why we have opted to keep our private health insurance on in spite of the fact that we are now also registered with the Spanish state healthcare system since my husband became a pensioner. Judging by the number of Spanish people I always see waiting at the private clinics I have been to for treatment (who will all no doubt be entitled to state healthcare) a lot of them also think it is worth having.

I think the policy regarding cataract removal operations is much the same in the NHS, by the way - my aunt who is in her 90s had to wait almost 3 years before she was able to be operated on, as they insist on waiting until vision has deteriorated below a certain level.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Exactly. I thought the OP had explained that quite clearly in his original post.


Yes sorry didn't read it properly although this assumption that if the vote is no guarantees we lose rights to healthcare is not necessarily correct. I think it is very unlikely that we would lose that but all remains to be seen. And of course the vote could be yes.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

chris&vicky said:


> Yes sorry didn't read it properly although this assumption that if the vote is no guarantees we lose rights to healthcare is not necessarily correct. I think it is very unlikely that we would lose that but all remains to be seen. And of course the vote could be yes.


I don't think anybody is assuming anything, all the OP wanted to do was explore the possible costs of private health insurance in case the worst case scenario came to pass, which he has now done. Quite sensible, really. I always aim to plan for the worst, and if it doesn't happen I am pleasantly surprised. Far better, IMO, than breezing along thinking everything will be just fine and then possibly getting a nasty shock.


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## chris&vicky (Feb 6, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> I don't think anybody is assuming anything, all the OP wanted to do was explore the possible costs of private health insurance in case the worst case scenario came to pass, which he has now done. Quite sensible, really. I always aim to plan for the worst, and if it doesn't happen I am pleasantly surprised. Far better, IMO, than breezing along thinking everything will be just fine and then possibly getting a nasty shock.


I did not mean to infer the OP was assuming anything but I read a lot of other forums and social media and I can assure you that there is a lot of people spreading gossip as if it is fact. As for my original statement about the Spanish health system I stick by that I think it is brilliant and so does Vicky who is Spanish and uses it a lot.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

The Skipper said:


> Sorry, but don´t agree with that. My optician diagnosed a cataract and gave me a letter to take to my GP. I was told that the cataract was still not bad enough for me to be put on the public health waiting list (vision has to be less than 50% of normal WITH the aid of glasses and mine was only 40%). Once on the waiting list I was told I would be lucky to get the op within six months. Consulted my insurance company (even though there is an exclusion for cataracts in the policy) and they agreed to arrange a private op for me at a highly discounted rate. Saw the doctor on Tuesday morning, had the op the following Monday morning and can now see perfectly again. I agree that Spanish State healthcare is excellent for emergency treatment but there are long waiting times for elective procedures and private health insurance is therefore, in my opinion, still worth having.


I waited total three months from first visit for my cataract ops via the excellent Junta de Andalucia Health Care system. The surgeon who performed the ops was the same surgeon who performed the op at a private clinic for a friend who paid 4000 euros.
My partner paid euros 000s to have melanomas removed in a private clinic. They returned and she had them removed in a JdA hospital. The assistant removing her dressings at the hospital was the same who performed the initial op at the private clinic.
I had a hearing problem. I consulted a private clinic, paid 600 euros for a scan, was told I needed a hearing aid, cost 2000 euros approx. I decided to wait.
I was shortly afterwards treated for cardio problems at CdS Hospital, JdA . The hearing problem disappeared when I started taking blood pressure meds. The consultant told me that high blood pressure can indeed cause hearing loss.

I have a friend who uses private health care. She has spent eight days in private hospitals in the past year for various ailments and is constantly being referred to some specialist or other. There actually seems little wrong with her. Her cost will most likely be greatly increased when she renews her policy.

I have zero faith in private medicine here in Spain. Too many companies seeking to rip off Brits. After all, it's a money-making business. People who work in the public health system certainly aren't doing it for the money.
If you're happy to spend 000s of euros to cut your wait by a few months, that of course is your choice. But you're buying time, not quality.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> I have zero faith in private medicine here in Spain. Too many companies seeking to rip off Brits. After all, it's a money-making business. People who work in the public health system certainly aren't doing it for the money.
> If you're happy to spend 000s of euros to cut your wait by a few months, that of course is your choice. But you're buying time, not quality.


If you are using the same health insurance company and private clinics as a significant proportion of Spanish people do, how are they seeking to rip off Brits especially?

As I said, avoiding waiting times for things like elective surgery is just one of the reasons why we're keeping our health insurance on. But having seen a neighbour have to wait over a year for a hip replacement operation in the state system, in so much pain that by the end of it she wasn't even leaving her house and had become very depressed and lost so much weight she was quite emaciated, I would rather keep that option open to me. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation is another thing I have seen reports of very long waiting times for in the Málaga area, and with that, if you can't get it when you need it, following a fracture or a stroke perhaps, it's pretty worthless. This report is now 18 months old, but I haven't seen more recent ones which contradict it.

http://www.malagahoy.es/article/mal...ista/espera/por/la/falta/fisioterapeutas.html

I'm still seeing my private cardiologist for my heart valve problem. He's not pushing me to have surgery at all, quite the reverse, he has advised me to wait as long as possible because replacement valves have a limited lifespan, just wanting to see me every 6-8 months to monitor the situation which I think is sensible. No doubt the state system would follow the same path. I can make an appointment to see him whenever I wish, and when I request one I get the appointment within a week.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> If you are using the same health insurance company and private clinics as a significant proportion of Spanish people do, how are they seeking to rip off Brits especially?
> 
> As I said, avoiding waiting times for things like elective surgery is just one of the reasons why we're keeping our health insurance on. But having seen a neighbour have to wait over a year for a hip replacement operation in the state system, in so much pain that by the end of it she wasn't even leaving her house and had become very depressed and lost so much weight she was quite emaciated, I would rather keep that option open to me. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation is another thing I have seen reports of very long waiting times for in the Málaga area, and with that, if you can't get it when you need it, following a fracture or a stroke perhaps, it's pretty worthless. This report is now 18 months old, but I haven't seen more recent ones which contradict it.
> 
> ...


I cannot speak for other insurance companies, but the one I am with does not increase your premiums the following year because you have had surgery, either, they only go up by the normal small annual increase.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> If you are using the same health insurance company and private clinics as a significant proportion of Spanish people do, how are they seeking to rip off Brits especially?
> 
> As I said, avoiding waiting times for things like elective surgery is just one of the reasons why we're keeping our health insurance on. But having seen a neighbour have to wait over a year for a hip replacement operation in the state system, in so much pain that by the end of it she wasn't even leaving her house and had become very depressed and lost so much weight she was quite emaciated, I would rather keep that option open to me. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation is another thing I have seen reports of very long waiting times for in the Málaga area, and with that, if you. I can make an appointment to see him whenever I wish, and when I request one I get the appointment within a week.



Many Brits are deterred from using the state service because they speak no or little Spanish. The English language press is full of adverts for private clinics, billboards tout their wares. The charges for procedures are many times higher than the cost to the state service. My two eye ops cost under 900 euros as opposed to 4000 euros in the private sector, performed by the same surgeon.
Rip-off like value is in the eye of the beholder and to me that 3000 euros extra cost is a rip-off.
As for waiting times....I remember Mrs. Thatcher saying she valued private care because she could choose when and where she was treated. It's nice to be able to afford to choose, to have the means to pay for your hip operation whereas a poor OAP without the means has to grin and bear it, literally. Some refer to it as 'queue jumping'.
I don't have many principles I stick to but support for public health care and education free at the point of use, paid by general taxation, are two of them. Private education and health care exist, are legal, we have the choice, if we have the money. If I had the power I'd abolish both.
I know it isn't going to happen, more's the pity, but I firmly believe that if fee-paying medicine and education were abolished and everyone including the wealthy had no choice but to use them, quality in both would rise overnight.
We used private care before we got our health cards but neither of us would use it again. Having had experience of how emergencies are handled by the state system I have complete confidence that if I need it again, I'll get the same quality care.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> Many Brits are deterred from using the state service because they speak no or little Spanish. The English language press is full of adverts for private clinics, billboards tout their wares. The charges for procedures are many times higher than the cost to the state service. My two eye ops cost under 900 euros as opposed to 4000 euros in the private sector, performed by the same surgeon.
> Rip-off like value is in the eye of the beholder and to me that 3000 euros extra cost is a rip-off.
> As for waiting times....I remember Mrs. Thatcher saying she valued private care because she could choose when and where she was treated. It's nice to be able to afford to choose, to have the means to pay for your hip operation whereas a poor OAP without the means has to grin and bear it, literally. Some refer to it as 'queue jumping'.
> I don't have many principles I stick to but support for public health care and education free at the point of use, paid by general taxation, are two of them. Private education and health care exist, are legal, we have the choice, if we have the money. If I had the power I'd abolish both.
> ...


Well I'm using a Spanish company (and from his previous posts I know The Skipper is too because they are much better value). I communicate with them in Spanish as I do the staff in all the private clinics and hospital I've been treated in.

As to queue jumping, I look at it this way. The UK Government may be paying for my healthcare now (that is to say they are paying the Spanish Government €4k per year for me). If I were to get cancer, have a heart attack or be involved in a serious accident, my healthcare would cost a great deal more than that, plus they have only been paying for me for just over a year, before that I haven't paid a cent into the Spanish system, unlike all those Spanish people on the waiting lists. So if I need elective treatment and I can afford to pay €720 per year (which is what it currently costs me to insure myself and ensure I can pay for it) I think it is quite fair that the place on the list which I might take up should go to a Spanish person instead who has contributed far more than I have.

As to the comparative costs, I am sure the insurance companies negotiate much more favourable rates for the treatments they are paying for than a private individual walking in off the street would have to pay.

I fully agree with you about emergencies, if something of that nature were to befall me I would much rather be treated in the state system and I am very thankful that I now have both options.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> I waited total three months from first visit for my cataract ops via the excellent Junta de Andalucia Health Care system. The surgeon who performed the ops was the same surgeon who performed the op at a private clinic for a friend who paid 4000 euros.
> My partner paid euros 000s to have melanomas removed in a private clinic. They returned and she had them removed in a JdA hospital. The assistant removing her dressings at the hospital was the same who performed the initial op at the private clinic.
> I had a hearing problem. I consulted a private clinic, paid 600 euros for a scan, was told I needed a hearing aid, cost 2000 euros approx. I decided to wait.
> I was shortly afterwards treated for cardio problems at CdS Hospital, JdA . The hearing problem disappeared when I started taking blood pressure meds. The consultant told me that high blood pressure can indeed cause hearing loss.
> ...


I think the good citizens of Andalucia must enjoy a much better public health service than those in Valencia! All I hear about are the long delays for elective treatments in this area although, admittedly, everyone speaks well of the quality of treatment in the State hospitals once it is received. A Spanish friend was told three years ago that she needed both knees replaced and has only just had the second op. She waited in pain and misery for two years for the first operation and the State system eventually paid a private hospital to carry out the procedure because the local State hospital had such a huge backlog. Last year, while waiting in pre-op in a private hospital for minor surgery on my foot, I chatted to a young Spaniard who was complaining bitterly that he was having to pay out of his own pocket for his operation because he got so fed up waiting for the public hospital to give him a date. My Spanish neighbour had cataracts diagnosed two years ago and has still not even been put on the waiting list because his loss of sight is not considered serious enough. Apart from speed, private health care also offers comfort (private en suite room), convenience (choose when you want treatment) and English-speaking doctors (or a free translator if necessary). As for cost, our insurance company only increases the premium each year in line with inflation, regardless of claims record, or at pre-agreed age triggers (60 and 70). My cataract operation, by the way, cost €1,300, including initial tests and three follow-up appointments, although (as I said in my previous post) this was arranged via my insurance company, taking advantage of the special rates they enjoy with the clinic (I had to pay because of a pre-existing condition exclusion on my policy).


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

The Skipper said:


> I think the good citizens of Andalucia must enjoy a much better public health service than those in Valencia! All I hear about are the long delays for elective treatments in this area although, admittedly, everyone speaks well of the quality of treatment in the State hospitals once it is received. A Spanish friend was told three years ago that she needed both knees replaced and has only just had the second op. She waited in pain and misery for two years for the first operation and the State system eventually paid a private hospital to carry out the procedure because the local State hospital had such a huge backlog. Last year, while waiting in pre-op in a private hospital for minor surgery on my foot, I chatted to a young Spaniard who was complaining bitterly that he was having to pay out of his own pocket for his operation because he got so fed up waiting for the public hospital to give him a date. My Spanish neighbour had cataracts diagnosed two years ago and has still not even been put on the waiting list because his loss of sight is not considered serious enough. Apart from speed, private health care also offers comfort (private en suite room), convenience (choose when you want treatment) and English-speaking doctors (or a free translator if necessary). As for cost, our insurance company only increases the premium each year in line with inflation, regardless of claims record, or at pre-agreed age triggers (60 and 70). My cataract operation, by the way, cost €1,300, including initial tests and three follow-up appointments, although (as I said in my previous post) this was arranged via my insurance company, taking advantage of the special rates they enjoy with the clinic (I had to pay because of a pre-existing condition exclusion on my policy).


Yes, I think it's generally agreed that Andalucia (PSOE governed) has the best regional health care in Spain.
I was surprised to get my cataract ops so soon, my eyesight wasn't that bad at all. I could still read and drive without glasses. My optician said I should see an ophthalmologist as she could detect cataracts, I went to my GP, he made the appointment, everything went really swiftly. I don't know about other hospitals as I've only experienced the Costa Del Sol Marbella but I've had first-class treatment there for cardio problems as well as the cataracts. When I was first diagnosed everything was 'severa', now after every test under the sun and treatment, several pills a day, everything is 'ligera' with 'recuperacion parcial'
The staff are friendly but professional and all personnel, of both sexes, incredibly good-looking!
The only time I've had to wait longer than fifteen minutes when there for an appointment was when I stupidly went to the wrong department and sat there for an hour before realising my mistake. I rushed to the right place and got seen at once.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

The Skipper said:


> I think the good citizens of Andalucia must enjoy a much better public health service than those in Valencia! All I hear about are the long delays for elective treatments in this area although, admittedly, everyone speaks well of the quality of treatment in the State hospitals once it is received. A Spanish friend was told three years ago that she needed both knees replaced and has only just had the second op. She waited in pain and misery for two years for the first operation and the State system eventually paid a private hospital to carry out the procedure because the local State hospital had such a huge backlog. Last year, while waiting in pre-op in a private hospital for minor surgery on my foot, I chatted to a young Spaniard who was complaining bitterly that he was having to pay out of his own pocket for his operation because he got so fed up waiting for the public hospital to give him a date. My Spanish neighbour had cataracts diagnosed two years ago and has still not even been put on the waiting list because his loss of sight is not considered serious enough. Apart from speed, private health care also offers comfort (private en suite room), convenience (choose when you want treatment) and English-speaking doctors (or a free translator if necessary). As for cost, our insurance company only increases the premium each year in line with inflation, regardless of claims record, or at pre-agreed age triggers (60 and 70). My cataract operation, by the way, cost €1,300, including initial tests and three follow-up appointments, although (as I said in my previous post) this was arranged via my insurance company, taking advantage of the special rates they enjoy with the clinic (I had to pay because of a pre-existing condition exclusion on my policy).


That is so far removed from our experience in Valencia! 

My daughter (16/17 at the time) had been suffering recurring tonsillitis & it was decided that they would remove them during the summer holidays so as not to disrupt school too much.

When they called to give her a date, it clashed with a two week trip she was taking, so she had the pre-op checks the day before the trip & the op the day after.

My other daughter has had physio to fit in with school hours - while a friend using private healthcare was still being shunted from expert to expert for the same condition.... investigations started at about the same time! My daughter had finished physio & was back to normal before the friend was even diagnosed....

Several women I know who have had breast cancer, have been told by their private doctors to use the state system...


I could go on - but I won't


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

xabiachica said:


> That is so far removed from our experience in Valencia!
> 
> My daughter (16/17 at the time) had been suffering recurring tonsillitis & it was decided that they would remove them during the summer holidays so as not to disrupt school too much.
> 
> ...


I think the difference here is that you are describing illnesses that obviously can´t be left without treatment as opposed to elective surgery that is classed as non-urgent. I have never doubted the Spanish State healthcare system and have been very impressed with the speed and efficiency when dealing with emergencies – from my limited experience, far better than the UK, especially in A&E. Unfortunately, impaired vision due to cataracts does not seem to be regarded as high priority in Spain. According to one report I read, there are 90,000 people waiting for cataract surgery nationally, second only to the waiting time for the removal of bunions! I am not surprised, by the way, to hear that a cancer patient was advised by her private doctor to seek public hospital treatment. Private insurance doesn´t normally cover out-patient medications and drugs for treating cancer can cost thousands. And, as I have said, I do not question the quality of care given by the public system so the private doctor´s advice seems perfectly sensible and understandable in such circumstances.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

As long as the UK is still a member of the EEA, you will be able to apply for a Form 106 or 109 to get your Spanish healthcare coverage according to the gov.uk website.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> As long as the UK is still a member of the EEA, you will be able to apply for a Form 106 or 109 to get your Spanish healthcare coverage according to the gov.uk website.


Surely you mean the S1?

The E106 & E109 both became the S1 in May 2010.

Do you have a direct link to that info btw?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> Surely you mean the S1?
> 
> The E106 & E109 both became the S1 in May 2010.
> 
> Do you have a direct link to that info btw?


https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...re-cover-in-the-european-economic-area-ca8454

I didn't go into it more deeply, but it may be that S1 is only for EU and the 106/109 are for EEA and other countries that have agreements with UK. The last update was 6 days ago


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