Non pensioners healthcare

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bbobandannie
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Non pensioners healthcare

Postby bbobandannie » Fri Apr 28, 2017 4:42 pm

As I understand the current rules, as non UK pensioners we have to have residencia, pay private health care for a year and then we can apply to join the state system here in Andalucia. Succinct I know but is this basically correct? Is it this simple and does anyone expect this will continue post Brexit?

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby El Cid » Fri Apr 28, 2017 4:51 pm

The Convenio Especial is nothing to do with the EU. It is available to all residents who qualify and are prepared to pay the monthly premium. Brexit would not affect your ability to qualify assuming it does not affect your right of residency..

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby Unicorn » Fri Apr 28, 2017 6:53 pm

Has that happened in Andalucia yet Sid?

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby El Cid » Fri Apr 28, 2017 8:34 pm

As far as I am aware, it is now available.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.es/wp-co ... PECIAL.pdf

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby Unicorn » Fri Apr 28, 2017 9:36 pm

As I understand it Sid, it does not cover any drugs/prescriptions so not so very different from, say, Sanitas. I guess it depends on if you have pre-existing conditions.
My Sanitas is not much more than that anyway (although luckily I qualify for Spanish NHS through the fiscally resident before 2012 route but who knows where that will go post Brexit)

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby El Cid » Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:08 pm

You are right, the best thing about is, as you said, pre-existing conditions are not excluded. The worst thing about it is the cost when you reach 65, I think it's about €150 a month.

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby Unicorn » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:23 pm

I think maybe the people who will be in trouble will be those Brits here who have lived under the radar so will not have 1 year residency under their belt and the strong likelihood that EHIC cards will die a death. I hear that when people applying for residency have to prove health cover, as, indeed, I had to, when I got mine years ago, but I also hear that sometimes the authorities are being a bit picky about certain healthcare providers. And I think you have to prove income nowadays which I do not recall doing.

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby Miro » Sat Apr 29, 2017 11:18 am

Unicorn wrote:As I understand it Sid, it does not cover any drugs/prescriptions
Obviously it depends what medication you need, but probably the most common thing is blood pressure pills. I am not a pensioner, so when I return to the UK soon, I'll be paying what? £8 per month for prescription meds which I currently get for €0.61 per month. But the full, non-discounted price here is only €1.61 and you don't need a prescription, so I already have at least a year's supply to take with me! I wonder if there's a limit, like with ciggies? I'm thinking of a new lucrative mule operation.... :shifty:
Unicorn wrote:luckily I qualify for Spanish NHS through the fiscally resident before 2012 route but who knows where that will go post Brexit)
Nobody knows what may happen post-Brexit, but even before the term "Brexit" was conceived we fell foul of petty Spanish bureaucracy and had our status as "personas sin recursos físicas" or whatever, cancelled, despite paying taxes every year etc., for no apparent reason and with no explanation, and we had a fight to get re-instated on the state system. So I would be cautious about advising anyone to depend on it, and if the cost of private care isn't much more, that's probably a better bet.

As for the EHIC, I don't know under what agreement it came into effect originally, but I can't really see the EU wanting to abolish it for Brits - the damage to tourism not just to Spain but everywhere else in the EU would surely be considerable, and I thought the whole point of it is that the tourist's home country picks up the bill for any treatment administered by the host country (if they send the bill, which I'm sure all EU countries but the UK always do!)
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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby Wicksey » Sat Apr 29, 2017 11:54 am

Unicorn wrote: luckily I qualify for Spanish NHS through the fiscally resident before 2012 route but who knows where that will go post Brexit
Yes this is how we have got onto the system here which is free with reduced prescription charges, which we are very grateful for. As permanent residents here I would hope that things will continue for us, but for anyone joining the system now or later on, who knows. I don't think anyone can predict what is going to happen post-Brexit.

As far as I am aware the convenio especial does exist here as I'm sure that was a question asked by the secretary in the health centre we registered with when she was trying to confirm what method we used to join the NHS here for the form she was completing.

We went to the DSS office in Velez Malaga first then they sent us a letter which we then took to register at our health centre of choice. For the convenio it would seem (from the form that is linked to earlier here), you would only need your residencia and possibly a padron certificate (we had to have a letter from the UK and our latest tax return too, but as you would be paying, I guess it would only be residency that has to be proved). It was a fairly straightforward process and quite quick in the end.

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Re: Non pensioners healthcare

Postby Unicorn » Sat Apr 29, 2017 3:02 pm

I have to say I am in no way endorsing any health pathway for anyone.

I guess that the convenio especial would be a good bet for some if private would exclude too much. Maybe some bright insurance spark will come up with some sort of policy regarding the drugs

For the drugs issue it is not the cheaper end of drugs I would worry about but the serious like cancer ones where the drugs can be very pricey is what I worry about when drugs are payable both with the convenio and private (outside hospital, I believe) but with the Spanish NHS they are totally free - for cancer, AIDS, diabetes and other certain conditions.

It is just a wait and see situation but, I for one, without the backup of the Spanish NHS could not stay as I could never afford months or years of expensive drugs, or even relatively cheap ones!


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