How do you get medical care if not working?

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Zofia
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How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby Zofia » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:41 am

Just wondering what the situation is for medical care if you are neither employed or self-employed? Although I am currently working for a UK employer (from home) I don't have a contract and it looks like I may have to go self-employed again, but god knows how long it will take them to sort it out, so that leaves me with no Social Security at all. My OH still works in the UK (commutes) so he is probably still covered with his e111 card (or whatever it is called these days), but what if I, or my children, need a doctor in the meantime? Surely children are treated free anyway?

Anyone know?
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hillybilly
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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby hillybilly » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:23 pm

If your UK NI contributions are up to date then it's possible you may be entitled to 2 years health cover under an E106...
Otherwise private health insurance or PAYG.
How are you presently covered for health care in Spain?

Zofia
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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby Zofia » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:36 pm

I'm not! I had an Autonomo number when I ws going to be self-employed, but only had ot for a month, when I cancelled. That kept me covered for 3 months, during which I had some heart problems and was covered by that for all my tests (which were clear). but now, I don't have any. What's PAYG?

I don't want to get private health insurance, as I still don' t know what my employment status will be in the long term. If my company finally manage to sort out a way for me to be employed by the Spanish branch, it will include private health insurance. But I'm not holding my breath, it's only taken them 9 months so far, to sort out nothing....
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hillybilly
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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby hillybilly » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:29 pm

By PAYG I mean pay as you go i.e. use the Spanish health service and get billed for using it.
Otherwise you have no option but to get private health insurance or become autonomo again in Spain.

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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby geegee » Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:25 pm

Zofia, I am shortly to be in a similar-ish situation, I have been an autonomo, paying my dues for the last 15 months, even though I have had no work during that period. Pre-autonomo, I got 18 months cover on the E106, calculated on my contributions in the UK (did not seem much for nearly 20 years' worth of NI).

I was subsequently prepared to pay into the Spanish system by being an autonomo then, but with OH's UK-earned income substantially decreased due to the exchange rate, we can no longer afford the €264 per month and I am about to withdraw. I am currently considering taking out private health insurance - which would be substantially cheaper (e.g Sanitas online quote of €130/month) - or winging it on a PAYG basis.

I was interested to hear you say a month's autonomo payment subsequently covered you for 3 months of public health care - do you or anyone else know how much I would be covered having being paying for 15 months??? Not 45 months surely? That would just be TOO good to be true!!!

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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby Zofia » Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:46 pm

I think you remain covered for 3 months after you stop being autonomo. at least that's what I was told.

The Sanitas option sounds better actually, I can't afford to pay autonomo any more.
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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby geegee » Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:10 pm

...and so it is too good to be true! Doesn't matter how many months/years you have been paying autonomo then, you still only get 3 months...

Ironic that it is cheaper to have private healthcare than voluntarily pay into the public heathcare system, which I would prefer to do and had been doing on principle. Oh well, needs must, time to wave bye bye to my (no longer champagne) socialist principles - they are just too damn expensive :roll:

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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby Marina » Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:27 pm

If your husband is paying into the UK system you are entitled to cover here under a reciprocal agreement.

I can't remember the number of the forms that you need but the DHSS at Newcastle will send them to you.

You need to fill in the forms and take them, along with photocopies of everything you can think of, including your knicker labels, to your local social security office. They should issue you with a tempory card to use while the new one is sent out.

You will need to add your children to the form and take copies of all their details too.

You should be given forms to fill out and take to your local health centre to register with them.

Should you be told at the Spanish social security office that you are not entitled to cove, persist! The office at Velez had great difficulty with my forms. They just could not understand that my husband and I live in different countries, but we eventually got it sorted.

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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby Bongtrees » Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:28 pm

Zofia wrote: The Sanitas option sounds better actually, I can't afford to pay autonomo any more.
Dont forget the 6 month waiting period before you can have treatment plus will not accept pre-existing conditions.
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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby Zofia » Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:49 pm

6 months? I looked on their website and it says you are covered from the date of the application.

I did wonder about being covered by the fact that OH works in the UK (his home is here, he stays with my mother over there). Does it matter that we are not married?

I will investigate NI payments too, although I know I haven't paid my full dues, the last 2 years I've been paying (and still am...).

Thanks for all the advice. Just hope none of us falls ill in the meantime....
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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby Bongtrees » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:47 pm

Zofia wrote:6 months? I looked on their website and it says you are covered from the date of the application.
From Sanitas website and is in fact longer is 240 days

Periodos de carencia
Los períodos de carencia indican el tiempo que ha de transcurrir entre el alta en el seguro médico y la posibilidad de solicitar la utilización de determinados servicios de asistencia sanitaria.

El seguro médico no cubre patologías del cliente existentes con anterioridad a la fecha de la contratación del producto.

Hospitalización e intervencones quirúrgicas no ambulatorias, incluida la asistencia al parto: 240 días
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell

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Re: How do you get medical care if not working?

Postby janda_grant2 » Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:25 pm

That's assuming that you can get cover by Sanitas -or any other provider for that matter. As a perfectly healthy but insulin dependant diabetic I could not get private health cover from anyone. Apart from a chest infection 5 years ago which needed a course of antibiotics, I have not needed any other treatment for illness, ailments, injuries etc for over 10 years. All I need are my supplies of insulin etc and the occaional blood test to make sure I'm OK, which I was prepared to pay for, but needed cover in case I was taken ill, or fell or had some other unexpected health care issue. But that's all past now - we get cover on my husbands E121
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