Health Insurance Spain- Private Health Insurance Spain - Private Medical Care and Medical Insurance in Spain

INFORMATION ON PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN SPAIN AND PRIVATE MEDICAL CARE IN SPAIN

For many people having private health insurance in Spain is essential. This is a topic of great importance - after all what is more important than your health?

This page on health insurance in Spain, also commonly known as medical insurance, is designed to help you get the lowest and cheapest quote for your private health and private medical insurance. If you are considering buying/taking out health insurance Spain and you want to find out how much private health insurance in Spain costs then read on and we will give you actual examples so you can see if it is affordable for you.

Many people often ask us: How good is the health care in Spain and how much is health insurance in Spain?

The subject of health insurance in Spain is so important because many people who move to Spain are of an age where they are very likely to need increasing amounts of medical cover and health care.

Medical cover in Spain via the public health service in Spain (National Health Service) is of a good quality but is not as good as that of the private medical system and this is why many people take out private medical insurance in Spain.

The first step is to consider your circumstances and whether you actually need private health insurance in Spain and private health care in Spain.

If you are visiting Spain on holiday and you are from an EU country you will typically be entitled to free emergency medical treatment. Having said this you really will need some documentation - in the case of people from the United Kingdom you must get an E-111 form filled out and stamped from the Post Office, BEFORE you go.

Some holidaymakers still take out private health insurance for Spain as they want the reassurance that the care will be of a high quality and also they are likely to have access to multilingual staff. Even if you are entitled to free medical care on the Spanish state service you may just like in your home country prefer to go private as it has many advantages, principally much shorter waiting times for treatments and operations. Perhaps you feel the doctors are better.

If you are one of the many people who spent part of the year in your home county and part of the year in Spain then you would probably want to consider taking out private health insurance for the time you spend in Spain.

If you are staying in Spain for a few months or living in Spain then private health insurance in Spain may be essential. Exceptions are for people who are employed in Spain or people who are self-employed - in these cases you become entitled to free health care when you get your social security number.

If you are in the EU then you should be able to get your home country to pay Spain to cover you. For people in the UK this cover lasts six months before it runs out - to get covered you need to apply using form E-106 available from the Post Office. People over 60 are covered permantently.

Reasons for taking out private health insurance in Spain are:

1. You may not be eligible for the public national heath service so you have no option but to take out private health insurance.

2. Private health insurance in Spain gives you access to the private hospitals and doctors who are generally of a higher standard than those in the public health care system.

3. People in the public healthcare system may speak some English but don't rely on it and so private health insurance in Spain gives you peace of mind that your health care issues will be explained to you and understood.

4. Private health insurance in Spain often means jumping the queue and getting immediate operations rather than waiting.

5. Facilities are usually more comfortable and private if you have private health insurance in Spain.

6. Private health insurance in Spain means you can choose which doctors you want to see and what facilities you wish to go to.

COSTS OF PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN SPAIN

This can only be a rough guide but for private health insurance in Spain expect to pay approximately €800 a year for a couple aged 50. A major Spanish private health care provider is Sanitas who are part of BUPA. Sanitas has plans that start from €15 a month, they have special private hospitals with bilingual staff.

HOW TO GET THE CHEAPEST AND BEST VALUE HEALTH INSURANCE SPAIN

If you already have health insurance in Spain and you are looking to renew then obviously you want to renew your health insurance premiums for the lowest possible price.

Try going to an insurance broker who will be able to compare plans and quotes from many different providers of health insurance as this will potentially save you enormous amounts of time (as well as money) contacting each insurance company directly yourself.

Try also find a health insurance price comparison search engine which will take your specifications and instantly search online and compare prices and quotes for the cheapest Spanish health insurance on the market. Always shop around as health insurance in Spain is generally expensive.

Do take into consideration your language skills. If you are not fluent in Spanish then it is important to take out health insurance with policy documents issued in English. Otherwise you won't fully understand what you are covered for. Don't take the agent or brokers verbal explanation as when it comes to claiming on your Spanish health/medical insurance you will be the one footing the bill if you find you are not adequently covered. So check the small print and ask questions until you are 100% sure the policy if what you want.

ISSUES TO CONSIDER WHEN CONSIDERING PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN SPAIN

You need to consider what private health insurance companies provide and more importantly what they DON'T. Check the smallprint - there is no point in paying money for health insurance Spain on a regular basis only to find when you most need it - that you are not covered for something.

Consider if you will be travelling often outside of Spain - if so does your private health insurance in Spain cover you for this?

Does your private health insurance in Spain cover all of your family or just you?

Private health insurance companies in Spain often will not take on board clients with existing health problems. Not stating these initially may mean they will not cover you when treatment is required.

Premiums for private health insurance in Spain can be reduced considerably if you are prepared to pay a high excess if treatment is required.

Health Insurance Spain Page Summary - This page contains unique content written especially for this website and is all about knowing about private health insurance in Spain - do you need health insurance in Spain, how much does health insurance cost and who provides it.