Does having an eu passport give free healthcare in spain?

Depends on your age and level of disability. If you are eligible for an S1 as you are over retirement age in your own country and receiving a pension or are classed to a level of disability then you will get free healthcare.

The fact of holding a EU passport alone does not give you entitlement to free healthcare. 

Hi, 

We are both under the uk retirement age retirement age and live/work in uk. 

My wife still works for now and is in a LGPS local gov pension but is hoping they allow medical retirement but thats a way off yet.

The plan was to take the cetv from my pension at 55 and use the 30% tax free entitlement (in uk) to buy a country house/cojito/finca, but we are now very concerned that we will struggle with health care costs if we make a permanent move but to be honest I havent looked into ihealth insurance costs per month as yet .

Am I correct in thinking that for the first year we need insurance before we become resident regardless of Irish EU passport? .

Being the holder of an Irish Passport will not determine if you are entitled to State healthcare in Spain. As the previous poster has stated if you are in receipt of UK state pension this will entitle you to apply for form S1 in the UK which you then register with the Spanish health authorities once resident in Spain. 

As for prescriptions, anyone with an income greater than 18,000€ a year will have to pay half the cost of the medication. Those below this amount will pay up to 40%.

Pensioners with an income of less than 18,000€ who have made a tax declaration will pay 10% for a Spanish prescription with a maximum payment of 8 euros a month. Pensioners with an income greater than 18.000€ will pay a maximum of 18€ a month.

These links may help you:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-in-spain-including-the-balearic-and-canary-islands

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/moving-abroad/planning-your-healthcare/

https://www.abacotaxes.com/prescriptions-in-spain#:~:text=Anyone%20with%20an%20income%20greater,of%208%20euros%20a%20month.

https://www.ageinspain.org/post/s1-form-state-healthcare-in-spain-for-uk-pensioners

Regarding your insurance for a year before becoming resident. You will need private health insurance for at least a year before you can apply for the Convenio Especial. This allows you to use the Spanish health service once you have been resident for a year but costs 60 euro a month per person if under 65 but does not cover prescription costs. Over 65 it goes up to 157 euro per month per person. Prescriptions are charged at 100% of the cost with no co-payment facilities or caps until you reach pensionable age in your home country. You will not be eligible for a EHIC so would need to take out personal travel insurance if travelling. 

You will also not be entitled to NHS care on visits to UK as this is only available to S1 holders.

If your wife is receiving certain benefits from the UK government she might be entitled to the S1 healthcare cover which would also cover you as a dependent.

It would be wise to ring the overseas healthcare team at Newcastle to ask them. 

If you get the S1 forms you will need to firstly pre-register those with the Spanish INSS office before you can use them as part of your visa application. 

In the Alicante region pensioners do not pay for prescription medicines. 

Steve 

Obtaining residency is much easier with an EU Passport whether you are retired or not. If you wanted to move to Spain on the strength of a UK passport you need to apply for a visa through one of 3 Spanish Consulates in the UK (London, Manchester or Edinburgh). This link explains the types of visas available and the information that you need to provide the Spanish Authorities with:

https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/seul/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/inicio.aspx

One of the requirements for a visa application or when applying for residency with an Irish passport, is that you provide proof of health cover for at least 12 months and this must be paid in full in advance. The insurance policy must cover everything and with no co-payments. Please bear in mind some insurance companies will not provide cover for pre-existing conditions. 

As the previous poster mentioned, once you have been legally resident in Spain for 12 months you can apply to join the Convenio Especial and if accepted you will be entitled to the same health care as Spanish citizens with exception that you will need to meet the cost of prescriptions in full. The only circumstances in which you don't have to meet the cost of prescriptions is when the medication can only be dispensed in a hospital Pharmacy but this is very rare. The cost of the Convenio Especial is €60 per month if you are under 65 and €157 if you are 65 or over. The following link will provide you with further information:

https://www.gva.es/es/inicio/procedimientos?id_proc=17044

Not quite. Pensioners earning under 18,000 euro a year don't pay for prescriptions and others will pay a co-payment depending on the amount earned as already pointed out but will have a cap on the amount.

Plus, after 31st December 2020, those who have not previously been issued with an S1 (that is those covered by the withdrawal agreement) will no longer be able to claim an S1 because they receive Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independent Payment, Carers Allowance or Attendance Allowance. Only those who previously claimed it will continue to be covered.

Note that this applies only to S1s issued on the back of these 4 exportable benefits, not to those issued for state pensioners or in other circumstances and are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.

The payments are still exportable and will be paid if you move abroad but will not have an S1 issued because of them. Relatives moving under family reunification reasons will still be able to have the benefit paid but will not be issued an S1 unless they are in receipt of a state pension.

Unfortunately the rules around S1 cover changed unless you moved to the EU before 1 January 2021.

The rules have changed around S1 cover for people who claim the following exportable benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Carer's Allowance (CA)
• Attendance Allowance (AA)

These benefits currently entitle you to an S1 form if you moved to an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland before 1 January 2021, for as long as you receive that benefit.

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/moving-abroad/planning-your-healthcare/

Thanks Marcliff and John for updating me regarding the S1.

However, I have lived in Benidorm for 9 years and have not been required to pay any percentage for any prescribed medicines for at least the last 3 years. My income is above 18,000.

Steve