# Healthcare in Spain Website Update!



## UKinSpain (Apr 9, 2010)

Based on your feedback, the Healthcare Team have made some changes to the healthcareinspain.eu website. 
Do take a look here and let us know what you think!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Very nice, user-friendly interface. It will be very useful if it is updated_* regularly* _and *promptly *with changes that affect those of us living in Spain. 

For example, could you include some further information on the changes outlined recently on the government website:
New rules to improve overseas visitors’ contributions to NHS care


> UK state pensioners who live elsewhere in the EEA will now have the same rights to NHS care as people who live in England. This applies to all pensioners who receive a UK state retirement pension and registered for healthcare in Europe with an S1 form.


Specifically, how will this work? Will we have to be registered with a GP in the UK? Will it affect the treatment we are currently entitled to in Spain?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Rajoy announced today that people without their papers *will* be attended to and in local health clinics, (this right had been taken from them by the PP a while ago) but at this point people aren't really sure how it's going to work as they won't be issued with healthcards.
Most people (except PP supporters) have qualified this as a purely pre electoral move.
http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2015/03/31/actualidad/1427788718_943883.html


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Rajoy announced today that people without their papers *will* be attended to and in local health clinics, (this right had been taken from them by the PP a while ago) but at this point people aren't really sure how it's going to work as they won't be issued with healthcards.
> Most people (except PP supporters) have qualified this as a purely pre electoral move.
> Sanidad: Alonso anuncia que devolverá la atención primaria a los sin papeles | España | EL PAÃ�S


This was mainly about undocumented immigrants from outside the EU, including the thousands of Africans who are washed up on Spain's southern shores each year. Andalucia refused to implement the policy, as did many other medics throughout Spain, so it was pretty ineffective.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Rajoy announced today that people without their papers *will* be attended to and in local health clinics, (this right had been taken from them by the PP a while ago) but at this point people aren't really sure how it's going to work as they won't be issued with healthcards.
> Most people (except PP supporters) have qualified this as a purely pre electoral move.
> Sanidad: Alonso anuncia que devolverá la atención primaria a los sin papeles | España | EL PAÃ�S





Alcalaina said:


> This was mainly about undocumented immigrants from outside the EU, including the thousands of Africans who are washed up on Spain's southern shores each year. Andalucia refused to implement the policy, as did many other medics throughout Spain, so it was pretty ineffective.


my elder daughter went to translate at the hospital with a friend of mine & her 13 year old son who had hurt his knee, the other night

my friend is registered autónomo & they were issued temporary health cards, which have expired, & she hasn't got around to picking up the permanent ones

I told her to take the health card & res cert, which she did, and she even had an up to date padrón - but the hospital refused to treat the boy unless she paid - even though he should be entitled to free healthcare _even if she wasn't paying autónomo!!_ 

I've offered to fight to reclaim the charge for her


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> my elder daughter went to translate at the hospital with a friend of mine & her 13 year old son who had hurt his knee, the other night
> 
> my friend is registered autónomo & they were issued temporary health cards, which have expired, & she hasn't got around to picking up the permanent ones
> 
> ...


Absolutely - the treatment ban never applied to children! Good luck with getting the money back.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

What happens if eg a wife gets free healthcare based on being a dependant of her state pensioner husband.
If he dies, and she has several years before getting her state pension, does she have to go on the Convenio a Especial?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

extranjero said:


> What happens if eg a wife gets free healthcare based on being a dependant of her state pensioner husband.
> If he dies, and she has several years before getting her state pension, does she have to go on the Convenio a Especial?


I believe the dependant cover continues for one year after the pensioner spouse's death (it could equally well apply to a man being the dependant of his state pensioner wife, after all) but is then cancelled.

It is one of the reasons why we are continuing with our private health insurance in addition to now being covered under the state system, as I am 7 years younger than my husband and still have over 7 years to wait before becoming a state pensioner myself. I sincerely hope nothing happens to him before then irrespective of the healthcare issue, but does no harm to have all the bases covered.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

extranjero said:


> What happens if eg a wife gets free healthcare based on being a dependant of her state pensioner husband.
> If he dies, and she has several years before getting her state pension, does she have to go on the Convenio a Especial?


If his/her income is below a certain amount and they are already registered at a state health centre, they can apply to continue receiving cover as _sin recursos_. This involves an appointment with the social worker who will help her with the application. I don't know what the limit is now, but in 2012 it was about €6,000 p.a. in Andalucia.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> If his/her income is below a certain amount and they are already registered at a state health centre, they can apply to continue receiving cover as _sin recursos_. This involves an appointment with the social worker who will help her with the application. I don't know what the limit is now, but in 2012 it was about €6,000 p.a. in Andalucia.


it's if their income is below 100,000€ a year, & they'd have had to have been registered residents before April 24th 2012 - otherwise yes, they would access the _convenio especial_

I'm not sure that there is a year's grace after the partner dies, though


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> it's if their income is below 100,000€ a year, & they'd have had to have been registered residents before April 24th 2012 - otherwise yes, they would access the _convenio especial_
> 
> I'm not sure that there is a year's grace after the partner dies, though


I think you've misread the post.

For 'sin recursos' the income limit is around 6000€ and you don't have to have been registered before a certain date.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> This was mainly about undocumented immigrants from outside the EU, including the thousands of Africans who are washed up on Spain's southern shores each year. Andalucia refused to implement the policy, as did many other medics throughout Spain, so it was pretty ineffective.


Yet, some hospitals did implement the policy and people did die as a result.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> I think you've misread the post.
> 
> For 'sin recursos' the income limit is around 6000€ and you don't have to have been registered before a certain date.


You do if you are a foreign permanent resident.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> You do if you are a foreign permanent resident.


that's what I thought - but thought I might be confused


I can't find anything about it, & certainly don't remember that it was possible to get healthcare _sin recursos_ before the 2012 changes

iirc, until then, even Spanish nationals lost their healthcare after 3 months if they stopped paying into the system, & it was only after the August 2012 changes that it continued, & only foreign residents who were registered before April 2012 were included in this new legislation


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> that's what I thought - but thought I might be confused
> 
> 
> I can't find anything about it, & certainly don't remember that it was possible to get healthcare _sin recursos_ before the 2012 changes
> ...


Maybe that's one of the differences between health policy in Valencia and Andalucia? We were on _sin recursos_ between the time when our S1 cover ran out (2010) and me getting my state pension (2014).


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Maybe that's one of the differences between health policy in Valencia and Andalucia? We were on _sin recursos_ between the time when our S1 cover ran out (2010) and me getting my state pension (2014).


thinking about it, I do remember that if you had been 'contributing' then there was a means tested facility - but that it was hard (if not virtually impossible) to access - around here, anyway

you did have to have been 'contributing' though


that's maybe why I had forgotten about it - then in 2012 that all changed for anyone who was already here & registered etc etc


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> Maybe that's one of the differences between health policy in Valencia and Andalucia? We were on _sin recursos_ between the time when our S1 cover ran out (2010) and me getting my state pension (2014).


I don't know about 'sin recursos' but here most were signed on without asking as anyone who was registered on the padron was classed as entitled to healthcare. They were signed on the same as someone paying into the system.
Others were assumed to be in Possession of an S1 that gave up to 30 months based on your previous NI payments, even though the person didn't have one & was never asked ?


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## littleweed (Sep 20, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> that's what I thought - but thought I might be confused
> 
> I can't find anything about it, & certainly don't remember that it was possible to get healthcare sin recursos before the 2012 changes
> 
> iirc, until then, even Spanish nationals lost their healthcare after 3 months if they stopped paying into the system, & it was only after the August 2012 changes that it continued, & only foreign residents who were registered before April 2012 were included in this new legislation


Hi,
Yes it was possible to qualify for healthcare under sin recursos. This legislation was introduced in 1989 and meant that anyone resident in Spain with an income under 6000 euros qualified. Also not true that people who stopped paying into the Ss lost their right to healthcare. The vast majority simply accessed it under other legislation; sin recursos or local legislation eg that introduced in 2008 in Valencia.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Let's look at the bigger picture. It's not a question of anyone "sponging" or using a service they weren't entitled to. It was (maybe still is, in the long term) Spain's stated aim to provide universal free healthcare to whoever needed it, whatever their nationality. The restrictions on foreign residents were introduced in 2012 because of the high number of EU immigrants combined with austerity measures and spending cuts.


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