Medical insurance

Hi Tom and Janice..We are in a similar situation and hoping to move to Galicia...we are doing loads of research and just returned from a few days house hunting.

We are also looking at health insurance and so maybe we can share experiences and information?

Sandy and Mike

Love to, if I find anything I will let you know.
Cheers.

I have a one year visa for France I'm now here for four months so I know I'm entitled to receive health insurance. I'm looking for the best way to understand the procedure in order to registered for the French health insurance system

There are a whole bunch of companies offering private healthcare policies in Spain. And, yes, each one will claim to be the best.

My approach is therefore to get the cheapest. :-)

Acierto and Rastreator are the two big price comparison engines in Spain, and you can get a big list of options and the expected pricing. It's a very good place to start.

A few are Aegon, DKV, Sanitas, Adeslas, Asisa... but there are many more. Plus the banks offer policies too. Most of these named ones have online purchasing.

We have Asisa and they are good, and fairly inexpensive. I think DKV is popular here too.

Price depends on age, pre-existing conditions, level of cover required, size of deductible (copago). Typically, 300 euros ish to 2k ish per year.

A bigger copago means a cheaper policy. However, if you're getting the policy to satisfy immigration, it should be zero copago.

Welcome @tweightman to the expat.com forum... and good luck with your move to Spain!

I used to live in an area of Nottingham called "The Park". I have very fond memories of my years in Nottingham, and especially of the lovely Nottingham University campus.

But Spain is nicer. And warmer. :-)

Greetings @Robare! France is lovely too, but I think you will get better advice for their health care system if you repost on the FRANCE forum. :-)

Usually, we should get a private medical insurance policy (as opposed to a travel insurance policy) to cover us initially. And then you figure out how to register in the social security system (for France, Spain, Bulgaria, and rest of EU). Once registered, you can make your monthly contributions. Your contributions typically can be as employed, self-employed, or unemployed. Contribution depends on the % in each country, and the amount you earn.

After a certain number of contributions you are considered to be covered, and then you can access free healthcare in that country... AND get an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which covers you when travelling in the rest of the EU.

In my case, as an example, I am registered as unemployed in Bulgaria. The monthly cost is 13 euros. I now have access to free healthcare in Bulgaria. They also gave me a Bulgarian EHIC which I can use when I am in Spain.

It's a good system... and works very well. France, Spain, Germany (and many others) have excellent national health systems with high-quality care. I imagine that many Americans find it to be one of their favorite aspects of life in Europe. :-)

If you are UK pensioners with fully exportable pensions then the S2 route (NHS) would be free.

Sorry, there is a typo in my last reply. It is S1 route not S2.

Cheers for your help.

Tom, I moved to Spain 2 months ago, but had to procure medical insurance prior to my Non-lucrative visa being approved.  I went with Sanitas after inquiring around, and even my lawyer in Barcelona recommended. For me…single and 75 yrs old, I got a good policy for my needs.
But do your research and good luck!
Peter

Bonjour,
Retraitée depuis peu, après plusieurs recherche sur les sites "Idéalista - Kyero et Solvia" pour une louer un appartement (T3) non meublé longue durée (5 ans minimum) proche mer.., cela est très très compliqué.. par contre à profusion location de meublé courte période.. Aussi le plus important et qui me ralentit dans ma recherche c'est que je ne parle pas l'Espagnole.