# Private health insurance PLEASE HELP



## kittkatt (Mar 12, 2019)

We need some advice as I cant seem to find the answer to my question anywhere.

My husband and I are planning to take early retirement to sunny Spain and I have stumbled across the mind field of health insurance. 
As far as I understand you need to be a resident for a full year before going onto the Spanish health service and would need to take out a private health insurance to cover any health cover prior to this. 
Our problem will be that my husband has a pre existing health problem and suffers from Atrial Fibrillation (An Abnormal Heart Rhythm) and is treated by medication of blood thinners and needs regular check up and blood test as well as repeat prescriptions. 
From what I have read any insurance company that provides health insurance would not cover this or any related illnesses.
So my question is what do we do ?
I would be worried living for a full year with this excluded form the cover.
There must be others who have took early retirement with pre- existing health conditions would could give us some advise .

We would be very grateful for any information that could guide us


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## Simon22 (May 22, 2015)

kittkatt said:


> We need some advice as I cant seem to find the answer to my question anywhere.
> 
> My husband and I are planning to take early retirement to sunny Spain and I have stumbled across the mind field of health insurance.
> As far as I understand you need to be a resident for a full year before going onto the Spanish health service and would need to take out a private health insurance to cover any health cover prior to this.
> ...


We had the same problem, so I went autonomo, which includes healthcare.


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## kittkatt (Mar 12, 2019)

Hi Simon,

thanks for your reply, I had to google this as I didn't know what it was lol

I hope you don't mind me asking this question, 
did you just register and pay the money every month or did you set up your own business ?


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

kittkatt said:


> Hi Simon,
> 
> thanks for your reply, I had to google this as I didn't know what it was lol
> 
> ...


You have to have a business
Make payments up to €300 ( which is what I pay) every month ( you can do this yourself or pay a gestor which is what I and many people do)
Do tax returns every three months and an annual tax return 
If your businesses is not VAT exempt you have to register for VAT and do VAT returns every three months


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Are you actually allowed to just become autonomo without having any income?

Just to bypass the fact you need private health to get your residencia?

I can't believe that it would work, at some point the government would realize that every 3 months you post a loss (zero income, autonomo payment out). And then questions would be asked.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Barriej said:


> Are you actually allowed to just become autonomo without having any income?
> 
> Just to bypass the fact you need private health to get your residencia?
> 
> I can't believe that it would work, at some point the government would realize that every 3 months you post a loss (zero income, autonomo payment out). And then questions would be asked.


No it doesn't work.

You have to declare your income & pay income tax every three months, & also supply documentation every 3 months. In my case I have to produce invoices for every student - even though fewer than one in ten actually want one!

So it might work for a short time, but certainly not for long!


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## el pescador (Mar 14, 2013)

kittkatt said:


> Hi Simon,
> 
> thanks for your reply, I had to google this as I didn't know what it was lol
> 
> ...



When you go autonomo you register an "activity".
1st time autonomo is a rising scale starting off at 50 euros a month for 6 months....100 for the second 6 months...there have been changes so these figures may not be acurate....ive been baja for several months.

be about 900 for the year


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## el pescador (Mar 14, 2013)

xabiaxica said:


> No it doesn't work.
> 
> You have to declare your income & pay income tax every three months, & also supply documentation every 3 months. In my case I have to produce invoices for every student - even though fewer than one in ten actually want one!
> 
> So it might work for a short time, but certainly not for long!



They didnt question mine although i was legit and wasn't doing it for the healtcare.
Id say if you did ebaying and at least sold some stuff youd be perfectly fine....although id learn up on how selling stuff in Spain works first.
A lto of expats dont understand their rights on second hand cars when buying off a particular for instance...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

el pescador said:


> They didnt question mine although i was legit and wasn't doing it for the healtcare.
> Id say if you did ebaying and at least sold some stuff youd be perfectly fine....although id learn up on how selling stuff in Spain works first.
> A lto of expats dont understand their rights on second hand cars when buying off a particular for instance...


I've never been questioned either.

BUT I do have to produce those invoices & keep them for two years (I think it's two - my gestor stores them) so that if there ever WERE questions I could prove it.

Anyone going for any lenghth of time not declaring an income is bound to come under suspicion.


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## Simon22 (May 22, 2015)

Barriej said:


> Are you actually allowed to just become autonomo without having any income?
> 
> Just to bypass the fact you need private health to get your residencia?
> 
> I can't believe that it would work, at some point the government would realize that every 3 months you post a loss (zero income, autonomo payment out). And then questions would be asked.


I am a graphic and web designer, I did this for a year until the payments went up again but I got healthcare after month three and residencia card at the same time. In the whole year I submitted one bill and paid the accountant as much as the government. All in all it worked for me and no-one asked about the lack of monthly income.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Simon22 said:


> I am a graphic and web designer, I did this for a year until the payments went up again but I got healthcare after month three and residencia card at the same time. In the whole year I submitted one bill and paid the accountant as much as the government. All in all it worked for me and no-one asked about the lack of monthly income.


Well you're lucky.

I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone else doing it!


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

xabiaxica said:


> Well you're lucky.
> 
> I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone else doing it!


Totally agree


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## el pescador (Mar 14, 2013)

xabiaxica said:


> I've never been questioned either.
> 
> BUT I do have to produce those invoices & keep them for two years (I think it's two - my gestor stores them) so that if there ever WERE questions I could prove it.
> 
> Anyone going for any lenghth of time not declaring an income is bound to come under suspicion.


 Of course.
Btw can only gestors file IVA invoices?or is this something we can do online ?

I used a gestor but if your only producing a small amount of invoices per month its not worth the fees.


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## Gran Erry-Bredd (Nov 1, 2016)

You could set yourself up as a self-employed Santa Claus. Very little work outside of December so very few invoices or taxes during the year.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiaxica said:


> Well you're lucky.
> 
> I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone else doing it!


Neither would I!


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

el pescador said:


> Of course.
> Btw can only gestors file IVA invoices?or is this something we can do online ?
> 
> I used a gestor but if your only producing a small amount of invoices per month its not worth the fees.



I personally have a gestor, who does all my returns for both my autónomo jobs. Teaching and estate agent work. One attracts IVA and that produces two roughly invoices a year! My gestor charges me less than €50 per quarter for all my returns and a flat fee for the annual tax returns. It’s worth asking around as they don’t all charge monthly. However, I don’t know if individuals can process IVA


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## Juan C (Sep 4, 2017)

My son looked into being autónomo. 

He was going to use a gestor to set it up but would have done his own returns 

He is a U.K. qualified accountant but from what he said the returns for a simple business were straightforward and the cost of a gestor dong it was not cost effective


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Juan C said:


> My son looked into being autónomo.
> 
> He was going to use a gestor to set it up but would have done his own returns
> 
> He is a U.K. qualified accountant but from what he said the returns for a simple business were straightforward and the cost of a gestor dong it was not cost effective


It's cost-effective for me.

Doing everything myself would involve taking time out from work to go to another town for the tax office. 

For a monthly fee of less than I earn an hour, it's definitely worth paying my gestor!


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Could you get autonomo if a freelance Journalist?


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Juan C said:


> My son looked into being autónomo.
> 
> He was going to use a gestor to set it up but would have done his own returns
> 
> He is a U.K. qualified accountant but from what he said the returns for a simple business were straightforward and the cost of a gestor dong it was not cost effective


I have an accountant to do all my returns. €50 per quarter, saves me time, effort and more importantly errors. It’s all about shopping around for a gestor you can trust and have a rapport with.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Isobella said:


> Could you get autonomo if a freelance Journalist?


I’m pretty sure you can


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## Ifn (Jan 29, 2017)

I also had to buy private insurance from an international company. They did not cover my pre existing conditions so I pay out of pocket. Example: Consultation with cancer specialist, mammogram and sonogram cost me €500 . As someone from the USA, that’s amazingly low. Another example: glaucoma specialist, all tests, total will be about €300 . 
But, the costs of the insurance was high. Probably about what I paid for Medicare supplement in the USA.


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