Best European health insurance (not travel insurance)

wishuponastar

I have a friend who spends time in Spain and has been told he will need to get health insurance (not travel insurance either-as that usually only covers short trips). He is in the UK but usually goes away for winter, he hasn't retired yet but is nearing that age i would guess in a few years time or so. Anyway i said i would ask around to see if anyone knows what the best/cheapest type of health insurance for Europe trips are?
TIA

Ngozi

Look into expat health insurance, that should do the job.
As to which one is best or cheapest, thats up to your friends specific needs.
My parents use Allianz but fortunately havn't had a need to use it but I know they have three tiers covering things like out-patinet, dental etc...

wishuponastar

Thanks, He doesn't need any treatment or anything like that, so just is looking for the cheapest health insurance that will cover Europe.  If any one has any other tips or advice, i'd be grateful to hear, thanks. 

wishuponastar

Or if anyone knows what the minimum requirements are re health insurance...particularly for Spain?

Ganga

wishuponastar said:

Thanks, He doesn't need any treatment or anything like that, so just is looking for the cheapest health insurance that will cover Europe.  If any one has any other tips or advice, i'd be grateful to hear, thanks. 

Do not forget the cheapest is not always the best value! check what it covers before purchasing

wishuponastar

Thanks that is true. I should say he's not even looking to be using it, it's just for the official paperwork side of things so even if the cheapest if rubbish then he is okay with that. 

mgdavid

wishuponastar said:

Thanks, He doesn't need any treatment or anything like that, so just is looking for the cheapest health insurance that will cover Europe.  If any one has any other tips or advice, i'd be grateful to hear, thanks. 

with that 'unusual' approach to the need for medical cover I'd strongly recommend you don't give them any advice at all. From what you say they think they are invincible and completely immune from everyday accidents such as being knocked over by a bike or car, tripping or falling and breaking a limb or fracturing their skull, catching any sort of nasty bug (other than Covid-19) etc etc.

ETA I'm assuming the friend is a British passport holder and doesn't have dual nationality of any other EU state, hence the likelihood of reciprocal free treatment in Spain ending after 31dec20.

wishuponastar

Title: WHY THE ACTUAL QUALITY OF COVER DOESN'T REALLY MATTER AT THIS STAGE (maybe later if there a lot longer).
Thanks and sorry, I think I've not made the point clearer enough, hopefully this will help...
Good potential points but as his EHIC is valid until the end of the year, it covers him for the obvious things you've pointed out. Hence why he doesn't really need to depend on the private cover and certainly not at all that he thinks he is invincible  
I should have said earlier, it's required more for a formality because between his British NHS cover and his already existing comprehensive travel insurance, he's already got himself covered at home and away. It's just that, again as I say, he requires it as a formality just to satisfy the host country's formal requirements for permission for longer stays (should they be required). 

mgdavid

OK - I was just working on the information in the OP - 'He is in the UK but usually goes away for winter,' which strongly suggested he will be out there for months either side of New Year, and after 31/12/20 when EHIC may well count for nothing, and as you already said, normal holiday insurance won't be valid for a longer stay.

Merry_Mawkin

My friends get round this problem by staying the maximum time covered by their policy and then take cheapest flight to the UK and return as soon as possible and this is to and from Spain.

jimbo6977

Ah the irresolvable tussle between cheapness and value! This thread reads like an episode of  Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun. "Look, you can live in a fifth hand mobile home for next to nowt!" (But it's 40° outside and you're trying to sleep in what amounts to a giant mess tin) 

Surely if someone's going to the trouble of getting health insurance at all, it must be better for them to pay a bit extra to get health insurance that might actually be useful. Just in case like.