WHY HEALTH INSURANCE...............? NIgel from Manilva writes..'
'When first arriving to live in a foreign country the question of healthcare becomes very important.It certainly was for my wife and I when we arrived in Spain following retirement in 2002. Although we were in good health, we needed to be prepared for visits to the Doctor or,indeed,any unexpected emergencies. We had both been making Social Security payments back in UK and this entitled us to Spanish National Health care for a limited period-in our case eighteen months.In order to qualify for this we obtained forms E 106 from the Non residents Office of Social Security in the UK and once these had been stamped by Seguridad Social in Estepona,we were covered. At the same time,we became members of Helicopteros Sanitarios,the 24 hour call out service.Helicopteros Sanitarios offers a team of fully trained doctors who will respond to a call- out wherever you are no matter what the cause.We have used them only once,but thank goodness we were able to...in 2004 I was suffering a suspected heart attack in the middle of the night and they responded to the call within 20 minutes! Fortunately for me,it was a false alarm.....but who knows? Following the expiry of our E 106,we enquired about Private Health Insurance and found that for around 50 euros per month we could each obtain extensive cover for both day patient care and in patient care in case of need in a hospital or clinic. Access to the Service is very straightforward and there is an extensive network of Doctors,Hospitals and Clinics at our disposal.'' For those people living and working in Spain and making social security contributions via employment or business,free National healthcare is available.
For those who are not working or who are retired,then Private Healthcare is a must.Pensioners can be excluded as they are entitled to free National healthcare. If you are interested to learn more about Private Healthcare in Spain or you would like a quote then please contact us on