Unexpected Spanish hospital bill four months later

Paula8

Hi, The other day i had an unexpected hospital bill from a Spanish hospital. 
In February i traveled to Spain, before i left i bought travel insurance explaining i had mental health issues and i was in a good place travelling for the first time in 16 years. I had a lovely time till the friday and i had too many drinks and unfortunately after a series of arguments i tried to take an overdose and drown myself in the sea. After my friend found me and an encounter with unhelpful police who thought i was a drunk, my friend loaded me into a taxi and took me to the local hospital in Benalmadina in the costa del sol in Spain. unfortunately my memory is hazy, but my friend tried to explain i had taken an overdose and i was shivering. The team did not speak hardly any English and they were brutal. which i understand was an inconvenience. After a strip wash and given some old pajamas i was put on a trolley had tube shoved up my nose and shoved down my throat. no pain relief or explanations. Noone explained anything to me or my friend who was left in waiting room. I woke next morning on trolley and asked do i have my passport number. i hadnt. Then i was strapped to this trolley no one told me what was next. They loaded me on an ambulance i was terrified and asked what was happening i was told to shush. i asked for my friend and was told she was gone. i later found out she was still at the hospital waiting to hear about me. They loaded me in an ambulance and finally the paramedic said i was being taken to a hospital. i was still tired terrified i was taken to God knows where. Anyway it turns out i was transferred to the main hospital in Malaga. Three hours later still on a trolley, trying to communicate to non English speaking staff the best i could, noone i gave them my mobile number, tried to explain i didnt know my passport number. Non of the team could ring my friend as it was an English mobile. i was in a busy waiting area alone on a trolley. My friend finally came around the corner, she had to lie to say we were a couple before anyone in the Benalmadena hospital would tell her where i was and even suggested i could be sectioned. She came with my passport and mobile phone. I immediately rang my insurance company hoping for advice as i thought i maybe charged. Finally i was called to see a doctor , thankfully he spoke a bit more English. i explained what happened, he kind of understood. i corrected my details as my name, date of birth was all incorrect. i explained i have a counselor at home and i was leaving the country the next day. He agreed to discharge me. i asked would i need to pay any medical expenses. He said as i was from a member of the EU country it would be free. I also mentioned the previous hospital. He again said it was free. 
Anyway fast forward to last friday and i receive a medical bill, with my name spelt incorrectly and my address spelt in correctly. I emailed my travel insurance company and they said i need to fill in a claim form. But with the bill all in Spanish i am struggling to fill it in. What do i do ca anyone advise me please?

mattyprice4004

I would ask around family and friends to have the bill translated for you - or use Google Translate to translate any words you don't understand. 
Then you'll need to fill in the claim form and pass it over to your insurance company to deal with. 

Unfortunately the doctor was incorrect - while we have a European Health Insurance Card system (did you have yours with you?) it only covers quite basic things, and won't provide 'blanket' cover abroad like we have here with the NHS. 

jonesMUFCforever

School's out for the summer according to Alice Cooper!

koalakoala

Short and to the point is the way to go.....

NoodleDoodleMan

Somebody correct me if wrong - but isn't travel insurance rendered null and void where alcohol and/or drug misuse is involved ?

Unless special T's&C's were negotiated as pre-existing condtions, which I doubt would be acceptable to the insurance people as a general rule.

Not excusing the attitude of the Spanish hospital staff, and no disrespect intended - but maybe they thought it was just a simple case of a.n.other Brit too much the worse for wear due to self inflicted alcohol ?

Voyager2002

Personally I would simply say on the insurance claim form that following a mental health breakdown you were treated in hospital, and you do not have a clear memory of the incident. Enclose the bill from the hospital but do not attempt to translate it. Let the professionals sort things out.

And a key detail: do you have an EHIC? If so, did you provide it to either of the hospitals in Spain?

martindow

It is possible that the first hospital was a private one and the main hospital in Malaga is state run.  Bills run up in a private hospital or clinic will not be covered by an EHIC card and possibly not by the insurance company unless they authorised it in advance.  The alcohol issue is not going to help either.

twopenny

I would ring the insurance company and explain only that the bill is in Spanish and because of that you aren't able to fill in all of the form in. Ask if you can complete what you understand and if you can send the bill with the part completed form. (I have been able to do that with a confusion caused by something else and motor insurance).

Fill in what you can.

If possible do not give them the whole story you wrote here. The information about the alchohol may be in the medical report which they will request or it may not. This will be a factor for them to refuse unless you are very fortunate.

Also that you/your friend didn't ring the insurance company at the time to be sure you went to one of their approved hospitals ie a public one.

But you may be lucky and it's worth a try. But only offer information that's asked for.