Talk Quesada forum

Can anyone help us with the question of healthcare in Spain.We are a married couple moving from the UK and are finding that Healthcare is extremely expensive.We keep getting different advice.
1.Is it only for the first year to get us through the residential application.Or ongoing im 64 and wife 56
2.Do the premiums get higher if you get ill.
3.etc and any other advice please we are getting quoted €2000 and above per year.

Thank you.

Once you can claim state pension in the UK, you get S1 forms and your healthcare in Spain is free. Your wife can get an S1 on the back of yours even if not state pension age herself.
Under 65, you will need to take out private health insurance until you reach state pension age.
However if you work here and get a social security number, once working and paying tax you get discounted health insurance.

Steve4878 wrote:Once you can claim state pension in the UK, you get S1 forms and your healthcare in Spain is free. Your wife can get an S1 on the back of yours even if not state pension age herself.

Just out of interest will that also cover pre existing conditions?

The S1 does but private healthcare doesn't ?

Steve4878 wrote:Once you can claim state pension in the UK, you get S1 forms and your healthcare in Spain is free.

On a point of order, you have to be actually drawing a pension not just able to claim it.

If you are 64 now You cannot claim your uk pension until you are 66. So you cannot ask for an S1.
Healthcare has yet to be agreed for those reaching pension age after December 2020 Brexit and it is unlikely your wife will be able to piggyback onto your pension rights as all women now have to claim based on their own contributions. Ring DWP in UK.

El Tel wrote:The S1 does but private healthcare doesn't ?

The private health insurance you are required to have if not covered by an S1 MUST be fully comprehensive meaning it should cover any and all pre-existing conditions.

As that flies in the face of the very concept of insurance - i.e. risk based cover for things which MAY happen NOT things which already have have - given that I struggle to understand how or why any insurer could issue a compliant policy but seemingly they do as many have successfully obtained residence with private cover.

Since most policies should only need to cover a first year of residence I can only assume that to capitalise on what is a genuine demand the companies issuing them have calculated that what claims might be made in that limited time will be outweighed by the income from other policies where no claims are made.

The S1 only currently covers people of pension age. The poster is 2yrs away from being able to claim his pension so he is not entitled to S1 cover until he is 66.
So he or anyone in his position will need health cover until they reach retirement age.
For residency purposes both himself and his wife will need private health cover.

What happened to the universal free healthcare that was supposed to be rolling out a while back? Some regions introduced it and discontinued convenio especial.

Black wrote:What happened to the universal free healthcare that was supposed to be rolling out a while back? Some regions introduced it and discontinued convenio especial.

It was a headline grabber when the new PSOE-led Spanish government came to power - and a commitment they couldn't afford. It was rolled out Andalucia, but it's means-tested.