Registering at a doctors - Page 2

Hi, we are four years away from qualifying for the S1, thats why we (perhaps mistakenly) thought we would qualify for the GHIC card

                         Thank you

Thank you all for your advice, its great to know there is helpful people like you guys out there.

Keep up the good work... 

The GHIC card is only for use for emergency treatment by a tourist.

Thanks for the reply but if that is the case then why can we not register with a doctor without one

Good morning I had a stent fitted 6years ago so the medication I take here in the UK I will need to pay for it once we move across to Spain 

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

If you have private medical insurance and need medical attention, you should go along to your nearest 'private' medical centre where staff will be more than happy to deal with you. Such centres have GPs but be aware they may not all speak English therefore if you do not have a good command of Spanish it is best to take a interpreter with you. 

As already noted in other posts the GHIC card is not for permanent medical cover. See this link from Gov.uk;

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-residents-visiting-the-eueea-and-switzerland-healthcare 

When you have been officially resident in Spain for 1 year you can apply to join the Convenio Especial. You will pay a monthly fee dependant on your age. This scheme will give you full access to the Spsnish Healthcare System but you will have to pay for all prescription except specialist drugs issued only at hospital pharmacies. This link will provide you with further information:

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

When you reach UK state pension age you can apply for form S1, which you can then register with the Spanish INSS. This link will provide you with further information:

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

Yes, you will to pay the full cost of the medicine, until you reach state pension age. You can then apply  and register S1 form as explained in the post above. Normally this means you pay a maximum of 10% of the cost. Depending on your tax status your prescription could be free.

Lynn

Thanks very much Lynn i thought as much but just wanted to make sure,we are moving into the Dona Pepa area 

Hi, thank you so much for such a comprehensive reply, which is really helpful, as you say we have only lived in Spain for a short while and this kind of advice is very much appreciated .

                                            Thank you.....Tom