Advice needed please re medical insurance/EHIC

Hi, Please can anyone help with any advice regards whether it is wise or necessary to take out Private Medical Insurance now that we have come to live or rely upon our EHIC's?
When planning our move from the UK we were led to believe that Private Medical Insurance was a must so took out a policy with ASSSA which is very comprehensive but expensive 2200 euros per year for both of us. Since arriving we have been told by many who also live here that they simply rely upon their EHIC's particularly where like us they still have property in the UK & return from time to time.

We are getting very confused as what best to do & would appreciate any help & advice + if anyone knows of alternative PMI providers who may be cheaper than ASSSA that would also be useful.

Many thanks

Just to clarify, are you still of working ages?

glosman wrote:Hi, Please can anyone help with any advice regards whether it is wise or necessary to take out Private Medical Insurance now that we have come to live or rely upon our EHIC's?
When planning our move from the UK we were led to believe that Private Medical Insurance was a must so took out a policy with ASSSA which is very comprehensive but expensive 2200 euros per year for both of us. Since arriving we have been told by many who also live here that they simply rely upon their E111's particularly where like us they still have property in the UK & return from time to time.

We are getting very confused as what best to do & would appreciate any help & advice + if anyone knows of alternative PMI providers who may be cheaper than ASSSA that would also be useful.

Many thanks

Hello glosman,

You can read more about the EHIC on here and apply on line on the NHS website :http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1073.aspx?categoryid=68

Also as Sandra says it does depend on age - This link from the Gov.uk website may help: https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-in-spain


Also this link here on TalkQuesada : post13088.html

It does also depend on the time you spend in Spain. If you are here for 6 months or more, you will be classed as resident for tax purposes and can apply for residential status which means you can use the Spanish health service.

The EHIC is really only for emergencies . We have a holiday home and are non-resident but we wouldn't rely on the EHIC alone and always have Annual Travel Insurance which, if there are no pre-existing conditions, can be as cheap as around £30 a year depending on what you want covered - Even with my husbands pre-existing heart condition, we still get a joint policy for around £200 a year (Direct Travel: http://www.direct-travel.co.uk/)and we think it's well worth it for peace of mind.

However, it does sound as if you will be resident and there is lots of information in the town Hall about health care for residents. There is a card called a SIP card (meaning,sistema de información poblacional, conselleria de sanitat, also called the tarjeta sanitaria) but being non-resident I don't know much about, However you can read more about how to apply for free state health care in spain on this link:http://www.tumbit.com/how-to-guides/articles/139-how-to-apply-for-free-state-healthcare-in-spain.html

Hope this helps - I'm sure there are lots of members on TalkQuesada who use the health care in Spain and hopefully they may be able to tell you more about their experiences.

Jan.

Many thanks for all advice - I realise that it is EHIC not E111 thanks just typed before engaging brain!! We have both retired with private pensions although are both under normal UK retirement age + although we will be going back to the UK our main base is now here.

you have to be 65 and your wife 62 and half to get a SIP card for free medical, then its simple you just go to the medical centre book to see the doctor or nurse for all treatments as in UK and its free. You pay 10% for prescriptions. Mike

If you want private health care it is worth getting a quote from Sanitas (Spain's equivalent to BUPA) We found they offered a good deal. Their Torrevieja office number is 966707358