Never make a private health insurance with a Bank

Peace.Vegan wrote:

Hi dear expats!
Never make a private health insurance with a bank

Maybe you should offer some reasons why.    A statement like this without offering a supporting argument doesn't help anyone much.

Romaniac
Expat.com Experts Team

Hi Peace.Vegan,

I can't agree more with Romaniac, your explanation would definitely be appreciated

Why?

Thank you 

It was the Bank Sabadell. I said to that woman that for my residence visa I also need a health insurance. She said I can check for you. And then she showed me the price. I said that is too expensive but as i needed it I said yes after 2 Days. I asked her if there's something cheaper because I am jobless.
But she said no

I told my Spanish friend about It. And he was very shocked. He said the health insurance here in Spain is free for people from EU.

The other day I went with my friend to the bank and I canceled that insurance

And then I went to the hospital to get that free health insurance

I had the same problem with Sabadell. They told me it was compulsory to have personal insurance even though I have no dependents or spouse because I had a mortgage with them. They charged me over 600 per annum for this. This was quite untrue and eventually I had to employ the services of my abogado to sort it out and ensure I paid no more premiums. I paid this for about 6 years. It is shocking. I find that in the main the personnel are very abrupt and cold.

Avoid taking out private health cover with some of the large Swedish furniture stores too! Ask your regional NHS if they offer Spanish NHS cover. It is available in most regions for about 60 euros a month. I hope this helps.

This sounds interesting but entirely new to me. Can you give a little more information? Thanks

Hi

This issue annoys me since it appears to be a well kept secret. Although I am not against private health insurance, there is a lot of money involved in premiums and commissions paid to banks, furniture stores etc to promote specific insurance brands, when a cheaper and probably more appropriate alternative is available from the Spanish NHS, which is superior in many respects. Have a look at this:

Purchasing public health insurance
If you are not covered for state-run healthcare through any other means, the Spanish regional health authorities offer a special pay-in scheme (convenio especial). This is a public health insurance scheme available nation-wide where you pay a monthly fee to access state-run healthcare. The scheme is managed by each autonomous region.
Policy holders pay on an individual basis for access to public healthcare, regardless of pre-existing conditions, anywhere in Spain. Children do not have to join the Convenio Especial as they are protected under Spanish law and can access state healthcare for free.
The basic monthly fee is 60€ for the under 65s and 157€ for those aged 65 and above. However, prescriptions are not subsidised at this rate so you would pay 100% of prescription costs. This form of cover doesn't give holders the right to an EHIC at this time, so if you wish to travel, you will need to take out private travel insurance. The scheme is now available in:
    •    Andalucía (No link available yet.Please enquire directly at your nearest local health centre).
    •    Baleares (No link available yet. Please enquire directly at the following Points of contact in Baleares (PDF, 181KB, 1 page) .
    •    Canarias
    •    Castilla y León
    •    Galicia
    •    Madrid
    •    Murcia
    •    Valencia
Updates for the other regions will be provided as and when the schemes are launched.

Anyway, I hope this helps.


http://expat.barriemahoney.com

You, my friend, are a star. I had no idea at all that this existed and it was always a concern of mine as I haven't lived more than a few weeks in Spain yet, although I've had my house 2 years. I'm just finishing a contract abroad and thus don't qualify for Spanish NHS when I return and the prospect of forking out for private cover was a worry. I will chase this up.

Many thanks again.

Great; pleased to have been of help. Let me know how you get on as I am publishing an article about this shortly and it is a while since I went through this process for a friend.

The Convenio Especial is a good public health care alternative for those with pre-existing health conditions, that would otherwise not be covered by private health insurance.

However, you can be on private health insurance for less or virtually the same amount of money per month with access to private hospitals and clinics who offer a multi-lingual service, whereas the public hospitals and centres require that you can communicate in Spanish or bring along an interpreter. For example, a 65 year old would pay 125€ per month or 151€ depending on the private health plan and less for those under 60 years of age. **

I am curious about this as well. My understanding is that it is essential to take out private health insurance in order to request residence in Spain. I have been offered such (but have not yet purchased) at the same place I opened a bank account -- Sabadell, as the case would be. They were very helpful to me and offered a plan through DKV at 62 euros a month, the caveat being that you commit to a year's worth of premiums, so if at some later date you were to qualify for national health coverage you would still have to pay that year. It seems like a fair price when I compare to other plans. The only thing I wondered is if there is a plan that will not tie you down to insurance for a year. One agent told me that all plans in Spain are based on a year-long commitment. Any thoughts on this?

Hi Gitboxer, Yes, all private health care plans are legally binding for a period of one year to ensure there are sufficient premiums invested in the event of possible private treatments/hospitalization. You can pay the premium monthly, quarterly, six monthly or for the year. Yearly would normally result in a further discount being applied. Also check out Adeslas for a comparison.

Kind regards, Vicki

Thanks, Vicki.

I wonder, is there some solution for people who are here in Spain for shorter periods?

For short-term/temporary visits you could use the E111 (EHIC) card, but would also recommend that you take out travel insurance with this as well.  Check out this link. If you are applying for residencia in Spain you would not be able to use the EHIC system.

Kind regards,
Vicki.

Many thanks for the response, Vicki.

Funny. After having a good look around, I am seeing nothing that looks like better coverage at a better price than what Sabadell has offered me through DKV, a pretty comprehensive policy called Proteccion Salud, which they are charging at 62 euros a month for a 54-year old male. An extra 6.50 for a dental rider. That seems OK. Any comments from anyone on that?

Hi gitboxer.     Any idea what they charge for a pensioner. Patrick