If you have what is considered to be a serious medical condition, then it's virtually impossible to get a private insurance to cover it, or if it did, it would come at a very high price. There is no getting away from paying the required for the first year, then for subsequent years you can contribute to state healthcare which covers all existing conditions, but you have to pay for medication. US doesn't operate a scheme called S1 whereby the government pays for healthcare of its citizens in another country for retirees.

 

Thank you for the reply! Looking for recomendations. If you have any experienced agent - pleaase let me know.

 

I have cancer. Getting travel insurance is impossible, let alone insurance to cover serious medical issues that will need ongoing care. As said, you will also have to pay for all medications at full costs.

 

Thank you! What is the name (in Spanish) of this insurance that covers serious medical issues? I

 

What insurance? I know of no insurance companies that cover serious medical issues, that's what I said...I can't even get travel insurance, there is absolutely no way I'd get cover for pre existing conditions. Luckily I'm covered by the Spanish system.

 

A contract would of course have to be in Spanish because it will be examined to ensure it meets the requirements.

Was a time when a simple certificate of compliance from an insurer would muster but in many cases those proved to be misleading if not downright fraudulent so now they do proper checks on the actual policies.

 

You are 100% correct. When you take out the policy, you must ensure that your insurance company will issue a policy document that is worded as per the requirements of the immigration service. If you use a quality Spanish provider who understands the visa or residence application policy, they should have the correct document to hand.

If you have a regional or global Expat health insurance policy document in a language other than Spansih, you must have it translated to Spansih by an authorized translator and may require the copy certified using the Apostille process. It is worth asking your insurer if they will issue the document in Spanish to save you the trouble and expenses, but this is not always possible.

 

Hi - yes, as per my bio, I have a business that helps people plan a move to Spain, inlcuding referals to private insurance companies in Spain. I'm answering the question related to a visa and residency application where private healthcare is required, not optional. For many people, public health care in Spain is an excellent choice, but for a non-lucrative visa application (and other classes of visa and residency permit), it is not an option.

 

I thought businesses had to be ed as such on here and be very transparent about it. I could be wrong though.

 

Hi all. Need a little advice and help please. Looking at moving to Spain on a Non Lucrative Visa, under 60 so no S1 but I have pre-existing medical conditions. We are not planning on moving for maybe 1-2 years but how do you find out if pre-existing conditions will be a problem? Can we find out beforehand by phoning or ing an insurance company, or do we go for a full quote with a health insurance provider filling in the health questionnaire? The reason we ask is that we have read some worrying information which indicate that this could stop us in our tracks! Thanks

 

Hi all. Need a little advice and help please. Looking at moving to Spain on a Non Lucrative Visa, under 60 so no S1 but I have pre-existing medical conditions. We are not planning on moving for maybe 1-2 years but how do you find out if pre-existing conditions will be a problem? Can we find out beforehand by phoning or ing an insurance company, or do we go for a full quote with a health insurance provider filling in the health questionnaire? The reason we ask is that we have read some worrying information which indicate that this could stop us in our tracks! Thanks

In simple you need full health insurance with no exclusions, the only way you can find out if your pre existing conditions would be covered is by speaking with an insurance company for them to assess your circumstances.

 

I'm in Spain just now on a final trip to see if we can live in Spain.

Would come on the NLV, my wife is due her S1 in 2 years. I am a toy boy though and have ages to wait. I have had a heart attack, 6 years ago and a TIA last year, yes she is wondering that she got a faulty model.

I understand that the private medical insurance I need for the 2 years will not cover anything that goes wrong with my chest or brain.

My question is would the Spanish health care system treat me free of charge? Would they treat me and then produce a massive bill at the end? Would they just look at me doing a dying fly routine and do nothing? Can I get the Convinio Especial and pay for it at the same time as private health insurance?

The worry is something goes wrong in the 2 years till the S1 kicks in and could not risk financial ruin if something bad happened health wise.

Any solutions will be gratefully received or to point me in the right direction of who to ask to get 100% correct answers.

Cheers

 

I'm in Spain just now on a final trip to see if we can live in Spain.

Would come on the NLV, my wife is due her S1 in 2 years. I am a toy boy though and have ages to wait. I have had a heart attack, 6 years ago and a TIA last year, yes she is wondering that she got a faulty model.

I understand that the private medical insurance I need for the 2 years will not cover anything that goes wrong with my chest or brain.

My question is would the Spanish health care system treat me free of charge? Would they treat me and then produce a massive bill at the end? Would they just look at me doing a dying fly routine and do nothing? Can I get the Convinio Especial and pay for it at the same time as private health insurance?

The worry is something goes wrong in the 2 years till the S1 kicks in and could not risk financial ruin if something bad happened health wise.

Any solutions will be gratefully received or to point me in the right direction of who to ask to get 100% correct answers.

Cheers

in answer to your question
My question is would the Spanish health care system treat me free of charge? NO
Would they treat me and then produce a massive bill at the end? YES probably or not even treat you at all
Would they just look at me doing a dying fly routine and do nothing? maybe
Can I get the Convinio Especial and pay for it at the same time as private health insurance? wiht the Convinio especail you still have to pay so you gain nothing

 

As someone who can't get travel insurance which covers my pre-existing condition, I sympathise. But the news is not good, I'm sorry to say. As you are too young to get an S1, in order to be granted an NLV you would need to provide proof of private health insurance which does not have any exclusions or co-payments. It isn't possible to sign up for the Convenio Especial until you have been legally resident in Spain for at least one year. But as you need the visa to become a legal resident, as you can see it is a real Catch 22 situation. So the question as to whether the Spanish public health system would treat you is really irrelevant.

But if your wife will be eligible for an S1 in 2 years' time, she would be able to request an S1 for you at the same time, as her dependant (regardless of whether you are financially dependant on her or not - my husband became a UK state pensioner 7 years before I did, so I got an S1 as his dependant until I started to receive my own state pension and got a new S1 in my own right). Then both of you could use the S1 for the purpose of getting NLVs, so to wait that further 2 years would really be the best bet.

 

2 years of grey and rain!! Nooooooo!
Very interesting about the no exclusions on the private health insurance which would surely put the dream to bed. Thank you for the reply.

 

yes my dream is put to bed unless we do NLV but then i still have to get the insurance

 

Hi all. Need a little advice and help please. Looking at moving to Spain on a Non Lucrative Visa, under 60 so no S1 but I have pre-existing medical conditions. We are not planning on moving for maybe 1-2 years but how do you find out if pre-existing conditions will be a problem? Can we find out beforehand by phoning or ing an insurance company, or do we go for a full quote with a health insurance provider filling in the health questionnaire? The reason we ask is that we have read some worrying information which indicate that this could stop us in our tracks! Thanks

did you dind any comapny that covers you?

 

The OP hasn't been online since March ..... just setting your expectations

 

OP?

 

Original Poster

 

yes the one that covered was riduculous sky high s

 

So did the "high s" impact on your plans to move to Spain?

 

100% percent, looking at about 1200 plus euros per month then i would have to buy my meds , not worth it

 

Thank you for your honest reply. In particular, as you also indicated who much you were asked to pay.

This will really be useful for folks in future!

 

Hi, I should have backed up this chat but have been busy.
We did get insurance good enough for the NLV through Asssa and are currently enjoying our future in Spain.
They will cover any initial emergency connected to my heart or brain but I would then be liable to any subsequent or ongoing treatment related to it.
We understand that could be thousands of Euros.
It is a risk that we decided we are willing to take to enjoy this life and feel the sun on our backs until my wife gets her S1 In 2026 and I then become the Spanish healthcare systems problem.

 

so did you pay yearly, can you get all your meds there, are they easily available?

 

Yes, had to pay upfront and for the year to satisfy the NLV requirements and am on the exact same medication as prescribed in the UK without any problems.

 

So you was covered for one emergency (for free) for your heart or brain under ASSSA cover but nothing else? So basically they took you one with your pre exisiting medical condition. So after one year ? Can I ask what you paid as well pleaes?

 

If I break an arm or need a knee replacement I would be fully covered on the insurance. For me 55 and wife 63 it cost 3500€ for Master cover at Asssa, on the breakdown, my wife is more expensive than me due to her age.

The policy is fully compliant as it was accepted by the Spanish consulate for the NLV and the visa is in my port. It is obviously a complete farce though so another thankyou to all the brain dead who voted for Brexit.

 

It is obviously a complete farce though so another thankyou to all the brain dead who voted for Brexit.

Just to be clear, EU citizens have to have the same level of medical insurance when ing as resident, so Brexit has had no impact here.

As a British EU citizen you would have needed the same before Brexit.

 

Yes paying into the Convenio Especial would have been our route to Spanish healthcare at around 1500€ a year for both of us so brexit only costing us an extra 2000€.

 

But EU citizens can't use the Convenio Especial until after they have been legally resident (ie ed) for at least one year therefore they too need private medical insurance for their first year. As far as I'm aware non EU residents can also use the Convenio Especial after they've been legally resident for one year, therefore as xabiachica said Brexit really hasn¡t made any difference in that respect.

 

@pammi2013 I thought that you had asked about medication costs previously!

There's a link in my reply to you here https://expatforum.sitesdebloques.org/threads/special-expensive-meds.1538034/#replies

post #4 on the thread

 

i did and no one from the pharmacy replied

 

thanks but i cannot change webpage to english?

 

ive tried putting my special medication in and it is saying ¡¡ No hemos encontrado medicamentos con la búsqueda rituximab !! so i take it not available from pharmacy it would come from hospital

 

No it says it hasn't found any medicines with the name you gave.
Spain uses different names for some medicines and others are not even available here.

Do a search for alternatives and then put them back in (Oh if you use Chrome just right click and let google translate the page for you).

If its not available then you will need a prescription, which you will pay for and the full cost of the medicine from the pharmacy. You cant claim on the healthcare policy (well the cost of the prescription maybe not the injection)

My wife has a steroid inhaler that she uses occasionally, it is supposed to be on prescription and we did just that originally. However the nice lady in our pharmacy replaces it when needed now without us going back to a private Doctor the cost of the inhaler €54 every three months.

As to your comment about going to a Hospital, you can go to any private one and they will give the injection, obviously at a cost.

 

ok thanks but it is not a montly thing, it is an infustion and may be required every 5/6 months?

 

ah, OK. On the link it's saying fortnightly infusions.

So 800€ for three or four infusions I guess

 

please see my reply from ASSSA "Medical department has confirmed that your policies can be issued. You can do the Master cover with a certificate for the VISA application confirming: Full cover, no copayments and no waiting periods. ASSSA, you still are covered for 1st assistance in case of emergency, you can go to doctors consultation to get prescription for medication The Spanish documents for NLV/residency do not show any exclusion ", what are your thoughts please?

 

So they said to you that treatment for your condition is excluded, but that they will give you a document saying that there are no exclusions... or maybe my memory of what you have posted previously is wrong.

If the policy says no exclusions, bite their hands off before they change their mind!