Case Study – HealthCare in Spain after Brexit

Last week we received the following message via our website and the client has suggested we publish it for all those wondering about the same topic – Healthcare in Spain and Brexit.

This was Bob´s email:-

Name * Bob
Message: Health Care.
Good morning, I am a pensioner who wants very much to live in Spain. Nobody knows what will happen with the free healthcare after Brexit. There must be thousands of people my age, who must be worried how they are going to be able to pay private health insurance. Whilst in Spain last month, I visited 6 different insurance companies looking for a quote. The cheapest I got was 235.00 per month, the dearest was 600.00. It was also explained to me, this amount that you get what you pay for. These rates I was told are per person. Who on earth is going to be able to pay this amount of money? I met so many people who have lived in Spain for years, and they are scared of what will happen. Everyone hopes for the best, but you plan for the worst. In the case of the people that I met, they can’t plan, they would not be able to pay it. What will happen to these people who can’t pay? Many will not be able to `go home` because Spain is their home.

I love reading your newsletter every month, you cover so many topics, plus you help so many people with their problems. It would be nice if you did an article to advise pensioners what they could possibly do if it goes pear shaped. Maybe you know companies who would offer a special all-inclusive rate. Or even petition the Spanish government to deduct 10% from people’s pension. Anything that might make the next two years of worry, a little easier to bear. But as I said before, hope for the best. 

Regards Bob Bowers.

Page healthcare-prescriptions-here-in-spain

This was our reply, which he said really reassured him.

Dear Bob,

Thank you so much for saying that you love reading the newsletter each month; we really do try to cover many topics and help people with their problems.

I totally understand your worries about the healthcare in the future after Brexit, especially after getting those quotes! I think the problem with doing an article on what will happen at the moment is nothing is definite. We like to report once a decision has been made.

I personally found the UK Government´s policy paper last week very confusing and unclear but it does seem that for your friends, those “settled” in Spain now, pre the “specified date” for Brexit in March 2017 was triggered, that for them it is proposed that the same benefits would apply. Thus I believe that as pensioners or others now with a right to healthcare in Spain (having applied for a S1 from the UK to be allowed health care free in Spain), this will continue.

So I think that although there is a lot of talk and worry for those here, especially when people chat, as it says in this policy paper, they should continue to receive their health benefits.

This is the policy paper

If you plan to move here in the future, then it is after the “specified date” of March 2017, and they do not really explain what will happen.

However, I think everyone considering moving to Spain needs to look at the whole picture; living in Spain is for many people far cheaper than the UK. One might be saving greatly on council tax for example (mine was 1200 pounds in the UK per annum 9 years ago and now is 350€ per annum) and the saving could be put towards health insurance or other expenses.

I believe that for anyone living here more than a year with a Padron in the Valencia region, and they do not have access to public healthcare, they can apply for the special Valencian contributory healthcare scheme at 60 euros per month for those over 65 years and 157 euros for those older

This page is in Spanish but http://www.gva.es/es/inicio/procedimientos?id_proc=17044 and there are pages about this on the Citizens Advice Bureau website here it is(it is called the Convenio Especial). You can also go to the Social Security building in Torrevieja and they help will help with this. So good news!!!

Alternatively, we have companies that we know that can provide private health care quotes, which may be needed for the first year.

If you have made a decision to move to Spain, then I suggest to make a list of the few issues you need to sort before taking the step, and we can try to help resolve these issues, then you can make your dream come true!