Applying for residency

If you gain residency this year, you will be able to access healthcare from age 66. 

Assuming you live to 86, the value of this is around 40K Euros each (based on avoiding the costs of the Convenio Especiale).

This is a real, tangible upside benefit.

Downsides ?    .... you need to pay Spanish income tax, which could be higher than in the UK, depending on your circumstances.

If you have Residency, you can stay in Spain for as long as you like (sunny winters, etc.). If you don't have Residency, you become an illegal immigrant after 90 days.

AFAIK, You only have to pay into the spanish health care (Convenio Especial)  for 5 years, at which point you can apply to become a permanent resident, which will give you full access to the Spanish health system. The 1st year would have to be private health care and the subsequent 4 years would be a total of between  €2880 and €7536, depending on age.

https://balcellsgroup.com/permanent-residency-in-spain/

Many thanks for your sound advice,, just need a health insurance quote..

Cheers..

Many thanks for your sound advice, I think residency is the way forward, just need a quote for health insurance,,

Please recommend if you have someone,,,,

Andy

It's not just about cost or about applying for Residency. When you gain Residency, your PHI will, at least for a while, become your only source of healthcare. So accessibility and quality are the important factors.

My wife and I have our health insurance with DKV . My wife became seriously ill last year, and they have been absolutely fantastic. 

BUT we have had to travel to obtain treatment and tests, mostly to the Quiron Hospital in Murcia. We have also used (I think) 8 other medical facilities in Murcia, Elche and Torrevieja. 

This seems to be quite normal. We have met numerous other people "doing the rounds" - each having different insurers.

Into the detail .... insurers may quote the various clinics and hospitals that they use, but in reality, they pick and choose exactly what services they contract for at which hospital. So if your insurer's brochure says that they use (say) Quiron or IMED hospitals/clinics, the city you have to go to depends on the medical service you need.   

We use a GP in our village (not the health centre) and she acts as the gateway into the DKV system - and she is very good at it. 

Our local GP works with DKV (which may be why our local insurance broker recommended DKV). So it seems that the most important thing is to have an insurer who works with your local GP.

We have a neighbour who uses a different insurer. Her nearest insurer-affiliated GP is 50 minutes away by car.

If you want to stay here then yes. 

The article to which you have linked is for non-EU citizens, and at present EU rules still apply to UK citizens.

The idea that permanent residency status confers the right to state healthcare does not at present apply to UK citizens. Whether or not that will change after the end of the transition period still remains to be determined.