How to get Convenio Especial - Page 2

How does the cover available under the Convenio Especial compare with say the minimal level of cover required for residencia from one of the private insurance companies? In terms of things like waiting times for  a GP appointment, or prescription charges, waiting times for hospital appointments etc.?

Hi WJF,

Depending on your age and existing medical conditions, the C.E. is likely to be a little cheaper than PHI.  For example, I'm 59 with no pre-existing conditions and I pay €74 per month for PHI with mid-range cover from ASSSA, the C.E. is currently €60 per month.  However, the cost rises to €157 per month from age 65, so depending on your UK retirement age, it's worth calculating the total cost until you would qualify for your S1.  I won't get my S1 until I'm 67 and those 2 years at the much higher cost of the C.E. just tip the balance for me to keep my PHI.

Neither option includes the cost of prescriptions, but the advantage of the C.E. is that it doesn't exclude pre-existing conditions.  However, you are accessing the State healthcare system, so you may have to wait a few days for a doctor's appointment and months, rather than weeks, for non-urgent procedures.  With PHI, I can usually get a doctor's appointment in 24 hours and non-urgent tests/specialist appointments within a week.

You do have to be permanently resident in Spain for a year before you can apply for the C.E., so you would need PHI at least for your first year, in order to support your residency application - Basic cover PHI and policies with co-payment are usually rejected for residency.

Kind regards, 

Kim

Thanks, Kim,

We have just come to the end of out first year with ASSSA cover. There are 3 of us and for next year at least, the ASSSA premiums will be slightly lower than the Convenio so I guess we'll stick with ASSSA for now and review things again in a year's time. 

Hi, I’m looking for health care insurance for myself and husband, but need to cover pre existing conditions help needed to find comp

Hi, 

I'm new to this, looking at the logistics of buying a house in Spain post Brexit, which will include residence visa as we want to stay for over the 90/180 days now allowed.

One element of all this is Private Health Insurance and Convenio Especial?

With regards to PHI - what do people with pre existing conditions do? - I have a cardiac issue and take medication. None of the I insurers will insure me for that and state they will exclude it - I understand why, so not whinging, but curious as to what other people in similar position have done to deal with potential care for a pre existing condition?

Also, PHI doesn't always cover prescriptions - how much does a prescription cost in Spain per medication please?

 We're 55 and 58, and fortunate enough to both be retired on decent pensions, so won't be working. Would we still be eligible for the CE system after a year of residency?

Kind Regards

Chris

Our private insurance with Asssa is due for renewal and the cheapest quote we have obtained so far is 2,640 euros for the both of us with Adeslas. We are 63 and 64 years respectively. The renewal quote from Asssa is slightly less but our nearest private hospital is Imed in Elche and they don't accept Asssa so we have to go to Alicante which is difficult to get to and the parking is terrible.  We will have been in Spain for 12 months on 11th November so I think it will be much cheaper to obtain the Convenio especial.  We have to pay for our medication in full anyway as it is for pre-existing conditions.

I must say the process for obtaining the Convenio especial seems very complicated but I am not going to let it put me off and will contact the NHS for the legislation letter.  If the Town Hall do not organise the submission of the forms is it possible to apply by post or e-mail?

Does anyone know the monthly cost of the CE for ages 63 and 64?

I believe it's 60 euros per person per month for age 0-64 and 157 euros per person per month for age 65 and upwards.