Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

droopsnout

There is an enormous amount of sensationalised reporting on this. Unfortunately, the link above doesn't seem to work for me, but I have read reports in the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph which were dreadful pieces of journalism.

I would very much recommend people to tread very carefully about moving to France (or other countries, too) to take early retirement, as it is indeed true that health cover laws are about to be changed, and it could hurt quite a lot.

Anyone interested should perhaps read the more considered reporting in this article.

seven-day-weekend

My husband has just spent twelve days in hospital in Granada, having had an operation.

Well, we both have spent twelve days there actually. The Spanish system allows (in fact encourages) a family member to stay with the patient, including at night. (I was given a reclining chair and a blanket).

His care was excellent. He was originally put in a general surgery room with four beds and a bathroom shared between this room and another four-bedded room. After about eight days he was transferred to the urology ward where he was given a single room with its own ensuite shower room . There were a few other single rooms, but his was the biggest. There were several two-bedded rooms, in fact the most I have seen in either ward are four-bedded rooms.

His consulatant came to see him every day and gave him excellent care, and in fact kept him in longer than he would normally have done because we lived a long way away from the hospital. All the nurses too were very professional in their duties.

His food was regular and of such vast quantity that I shared it with him (most of the relatives who were staying did this). So I got free accommodation and food for the duration. We did have to buy bottled water and coffee if we wanted anything other than the decaffeinated milky stuff the hospital provided.

Once he was mobile we could walk and sit in the beautiful hospital gardens.

All rooms had pay-as-you-go TV (Spanish) installed.

The hospital was absolutely spotless.

The only downside was that hardly anyone spoke English so sometimes we had to phone an interpreter when our Spanish failed (but why should they speak English anyway - how many hospitals in the UK have Spanish speakers?).

This is Spanish NHS. (My husband has a form E121 so he is eligible for free healthcare although he is not yet of State Pension age). Absolutely excellent.

Thought this would be interesting to share.

beedeedee

I agree with Seven-day-weekend about the quality of care in Spanish state- run hospitals. My husband also received excellent care when he fell ill with a (previously unknown) blood disorder. However we came to learn that although you will receive the best care whilst in hospital, you will not necessarily be given the best drugs for long term illness due to the costs involved. The costs of some drugs can be horrendous at £40,000+ a year and the system will not pay these amounts in certain areas - until you are of proper retirement age, no matter which forms you have filled in. Even if you have private medical care, check on the limit of drug costs, (it could be capped at £20,000 per year or similar). For us, the best thing to do was return to the UK (luckily we had somewhere to return to) and sit out the next few years till he is 65 - then we will go back and retire properly. There is a big black hole in long term drug treatment.....hopefully you won't need to go there - but please be aware.

droopsnout

Best wishes to your hubby for a speedy and full recovery, s-d-w. And I hope you find the extra strength necessary to cope whilst he is recuperating.

Thanks for the interesting account.

I'll make this post more on-topic (well, relevant to the later posts) by pointing to the Department of Health site here, where the most reliable interpretation of the new French health laws for ex-pat early retirees can be found.

seven-day-weekend

Thank you beebeedee and droopsnout for your comments. Luckily my husband's drugs only consist of penicillin and painkillers, both of which the hospital have given him. He is now getting better at a rate of knots. But we too have a place in the UK as a bolthole if necessary.

AFAIK, the rules for receiving free Spanish Healthcare are still the same:

1. If you are a British State Pensioner or in receipt of certain benefits (one being long-term Incapacity Benefit), then you will qualify for an E121 from the British DWP which covers you for any healthcare in Spain to the same level as a Spaniard would have. (Basically this is the same as the British NHS). Any dependent relatives will also be covered.

2.If you are below retirement age and not in receipt of those benefits, but have worked and paid NI for the two years preceeding your Spanish residence, you can get a form E106 which will provide you with free Spanish healthcare for about two years.

3. If you work or are self-employed in Spain and pay into the system you will be covered for free healthcare.

If none of these apply, you will have to have private medical insurance until you are of State Retirement age.

AFAIK, the situation is different in Valencia province, where everyone gets it free at the moment, but I've heard this is about to change.

All the above applies if you are resident in Spain. You will no longer be able to access the British NHS other than for emergencies arising whilst you are in the UK.

Hope this helps.

missile

AFAIK to be treated in a (free) hospital you need a SIP card. On production of your passport and EHIC you can get a temporary one for six months.

seven-day-weekend

SIP card? Do you mean the health card? We got those when we registered our E121/106 at the Spanish DSS (Can't remember what it's called in Spanish). How long it is valid for depends upon the document supporting it (EHIC, E106, E121) or by paying into the Spanish system.

Unless you are in Valencia when everyone gets it free indefinitely, at the moment.

missile

Spaniards refer to their health card as the SIP card.

Your post is correct re those who are resident in Spain. My comment was to supplement it for the benefit of those non residents who may need to go to hospital.

If your DH does not qualify for free medication? You will be pleased to learn that penecillin (augmentin) and pain killers are cheaper to buy in spain than in the UK with a prescription

seven-day-weekend

He had the medication free from the hospital and has now finished it, but I know they are cheaper in Spain, as are his antidepressants. Also they are allavailable without prescription.

I think on the whole the Spanish health service is better than the UK.

droopsnout

As a former worker in public service, I place no belief in league tables, but they always provoke interest.

So here for your delectation is a table of health services around the world, as shown here on a BBC web page: