About Moving to Spain – Spanish Healthcare

Moving to Spain is a serious step to make, but it can be enjoyed as long as you follow sensible precautions, so here are a few to help you on your way:

Spanish Water:
Nowadays, Spanish tap water is usually safe, but does vary in quality from town to town, so it would be best to at least start out drinking bottled water until you are more acclimatised. Many Spanish villages have a source of drinking water called a ‘canyon’ (often from a tap in the village square), this is usually pure, but again, get acclimatised first. The last thing you want to begin you move to Spain with is an upset tummy from drinking water which is unfamiliar.

The Spanish Heat:
Be prepared for the heat when you move to Spain. Your holidays on the Spanish Costas will not have prepared you for the every day searing heat which occurs in most areas of Spain throughout the summer months. Do not try to sunbathe or over exert yourself during siesta hours – the Spanish people do not. If you do not take precautions when first moving to Spain you could end up with prickly heat or even a bad attack of sunstroke, which could be avoided with a little care. Stay inside as much as you can in the air conditioning when it is too hot, drink plenty of bottled water, and make sure you have enough salt in your diet (no need to overdo it though).

Stray Animals in Spain:
Just like when you go anywhere (or even when you live in the place you now call home), take care when moving to Spain with wild animals and even those you think may be pets. There are many stray cats and dogs in Spain. Despite intense efforts by the Spanish Government, some of these strays carry diseases. You do not want to get a bite from an infected animal, so best to avoid strays wandering around your Spanish village if possible. You will find that this is what most of the Spanish villagers do anyhow.

Nevertheless, however careful you may be, when moving to Spain emergencies can happen and one of the most important things you need to know is the telephone number to call in case of health or other emergency.

The emergency phone number in Spain is 112

The Spanish Healthcare System

The Spanish healthcare system is usually excellent, although it differs slightly from that in the UK. Most Spanish hospitals are modern and well-equipped and Spanish Medical Practitioners are excellent.

Spanish Nurses are highly qualified also, but the emphasis on nursing care is more in line with the ‘nurse practitioner' system growing in the UK, in that Spanish nurses deal with medical care, but do not perform basic care duties, such as feeding, changing and washing patients. The Spanish emphasis on families extends to hospitals in Spain and family members usually carry out these duties.

In line with this policy, a member of the patient’s family will be allowed to be with the patient twenty four hours a day, in order that they can carry out this care. Of course, this may come as a shock to someone moving to Spain and used to UK hospital visiting hours.

When moving to Spain you must also remember that, even in areas where there are many expats, hospital staff often do not speak English, but the hospital may be able to give you details of a translator who can help you with urgent medical matters.

Spanish Health Care has its emphasis firmly placed on ‘prevention’ rather than waiting until a cure is necessary. Therefore nearly all villages in Spain will have a Centro de Salud, where the doctor will not only see patients who are ill, but also give recommendations on eating and lifestyle.

You Spanish Centro de Salud will often be busy and the doctor may often be late, but the care is usually excellent with an emphasis on following up the treatment to ensure that the patient’s health has progressed well.

Entitlement to free Healthcare in Spain

All visitors to Spain from the EU, whether moving to Spain or not, should carry the European Health Insurance card (EHIC). This has replaced the old form E111 which used to entitle you to emergency healthcare in Europe. If you do not have one of these already, you should apply to your local post office or the UK Department of Health website.

But when moving to Spain you must remember that the EHIC is for Emergency Healthcare Treatment in Spain. It will not cover you for long term treatment and you will not be able to sign up with your local Spanish doctor with this.

When planning on moving to Spain, you therefore have to consider what type of health care you want for yourself and your family – the Spanish national healthcare service, or private healthcare.

If you are moving to Spain and retiring there, you will be entitled to free healthcare under the national system. In order to apply for free Spanish healthcare as a pensioner (over 65 years), you need to apply to the Department for Work and Pensions (Newcastle) for a Form E121. As a pensioner, your immediate dependants (including your partner) will also be entitled to free Spanish health care.

If you are not working when you move to Spain, but have accrued national insurance benefits, you will be entitled to free healthcare under the Spanish national system for a period up to two years depending on the benefits outstanding. In order to apply for free Spanish healthcare in these circumstances, you need to apply to the Department for Work and Pensions (Newcastle) for a Form E106. As with being a pensioner in Spain, the dependants of a holder of a form E106 are also entitled to free Spanish health care.

When you move to Spain with either of these forms, you will still need to register yourself and all of your family at the department of social security (Seguridad Social) in your local Spanish area, taking these signed and completed forms with you. After this has been fulfilled, you can register to see a doctor at your local Centro de Salud (Health Centre). However, as this process can be delayed, you still need to carry your emergency health cards (EHIC) with you to cover any eventualities happening in your new life in Spain while the bureaucratic process is completed.

Private Health Insurance and Health Care in Spain

Spain has a very good national health service that works alongside a very good private sector, so you can blend the two if you prefer.

When moving to Spain you may prefer to pay for Private Health Insurance, this will cover you for treatment from a Spanish local doctor without you having to have a social security number. Depending on the amount paid, private insurance for health care in Spain will also entitle you and your family to some health care at local private clinics. However, not all areas in Spain have these facilities

You can purchase private health insurance for when you live in Spain either from an English or American company, or from a local Spanish Insurance company. Policy prices vary considerably (as do the benefits offered – ranging from emergency only to full scale care), with those which are not Spanish tending to be higher in cost. On this I recommend you do your homework, because insurance for expats living in Spain can vary a great deal and the price you pay does not always reflect the benefits you acquire.

The best way to find out about private health insurance for when you move to Spain is to look on the internet and also ask anyone using this already, perhaps in an expat forum or an expat you have met while negotiating your house move.

The more options you have for health insurance cover when moving to Spain, the less likely you are to get a bad deal.