SPANISH HEALTH insurance
Health Insurance:
Pay monthly private health insurance plans with local health care providers
If you’re a resident, you may be covered by Spanish state healthcare, depending on a number of factors including social security payments or retirement status. If you’re a visitor (however regular) you will likely have access via your EHIC card. However, whether you live in Spain or just visit a lot, you may want extra coverage or just have the option of supplementing the state system should you need medical attention. In that case, Nash Warren have a range of Spanish health policies to meet any need at a reasonable price.
Back in the UK, British expats will have been used to the National Health Service and no matter how much we moan about it (and no matter what changes each successive government makes as it attempts to cut costs) it’s still the envy of the world. The Spanish state healthcare service is also good. However, depending on your circumstances, you can’t guarantee you’ll have access to it.
| For UK visitors to Spain and Expats resident in Spain… |
| For UK visitors to Spain, there’s no problem. Simply bring along your EHIC card (formerly called the E111) and under the EU reciprocal agreement, you can access the Spanish state system if you need medical attention for emergencies. For expat residents though, that EHIC will only cover short holidays.If you’re retired and of pensionable age then you’re okay, but otherwise you’ll need to be making social security payments to register with a doctor.If you have a job or are registered as autónomo or freelance then you’ll be paying seguridad social every month and have nothing to worry about. If you don’t meet any of these criteria, you might need to look into taking out a Spanish health insurance policy. |
Of course, just like in the UK, even if you’re entitled to state healthcare, you might still decide to ‘go private’, if only to avoid the queues. There are two broad categories of Spanish health cover.
The first is comprehensive and covers you for any treatment, doctor’s visit, regular monitoring tests and scans, and so on.
The other tends to be limited to being admitted to hospital and covers any all medical treatment (including tests) associated with the admission but nothing beyond that.
Either option involves, as you’d expect, some detailed questioning about your medical and health history prior to cover being approved. Insurance companies are especially wary of pre-existing conditions and medical issues that might follow on from them. However tempting it might be to keep quiet about past treatment in order to keep the premiums down, you’re risking running up medical bills and then having your insurance company refuse to pay them. Not a circumstance anybody would like to be in.
What our customers say
“Nash Warren provided me with a level of service I have not received before by any other insurance company I have dealt with. I found their staff to be friendly and gave me a quote to rival any other insurance company online.”
“Was very pleased that we found Nash Warren on the web, they gave me a very competitive quote and was impressed with their service.”