Posted: Fri Jul 1, 2022 6:32pm
As advised the GHIC card is for tourists, you are not a tourist. You advise that you have been here for four months so by this stage, you will have presumably entered Spain on a NLV and have now gone through the process of getting a TIE.
Part of that process means that you need private health insurance for your first 12 months. Your insurance will list which private doctors you need to go to. You have no access to the Spanish Health Service. So you just go and see you own private doctor in the same way as you would see a GP in the U.K. and they will issue your medication., giving you a prescription to take to the farmacia. You have to meet the cost of all medicines in full unless you have a clause in your insurance for free medication.
Once your private insurance expires you can then choose to register for Spanish healthcare, but this will cost you 60€ per month and increases substantially once you are 65 to 157€. The only benefit to changing would be if your private health insurance costs a great deal more per annum. Even under this system, you pay full price for all prescriptions.
As you are a Spanish resident once your GHIC/EHIC card expires, you will not be able to renew the card until you reach pension age as since Brexit you have to be an S1 holder to hold a card. The card is for use in other European countries, it’s not valid for your use in Spain as you already have medical cover.
If and when Spain decide that your age group is eligible for a 4th covid vaccine then you will need to register at your local salud taking with you, your passport, TIE and private healthcare details, they will issue you a temporary card to enable you just to get your vaccine. That’s the only thing that will be provided for you for free under the SHS.
Lynn