medical care options

Hello John and Diane,

Welcome on board !

Please note that I have edited the title of your thread so that it better reflects your search.

Till members shed the light on your query, I would invite you to read the Healthcare in Spain article to gather as much information possible.

All the very best,

Bhavna

@johnsargeant101

You're right that retirement age is a crucial milestone. That's because (a) your pension would, typically, be accepted as proof of income for a No Lucrativa Visa, and (b) as a Britisher pensioner you can get an S1, which entitles you to free medical treatment in the EU.

Until then you have to find other ways to qualify for a visa/residence, and, most likely, you will need to get your medical treatment through a private health insurance plan. Spanish healthcare (both private and public) is good, and there are plenty of reputable health insurance companies. But these policies can get quite expensive, especially with very serious pre-existing conditions.

I had a private healthcare policy when I first applied for residence (as it was a condition of my application). I was old, but in excellent health, and it was around 1,000 euros per year. With your pre-existing conditions it's likely to be several thousand euros per year, each. Which might be prohibitive (I'd certainly think twice about it).

If you want to know for sure, there is a Spanish comparison engine Rastreator (or Acierto) which has an option for private medical insurance, and will show you quotes from lots of companies (based on your age, mostly). Having found some possibles, you'd have to talk directly to those companies to give them your medical history and get a more accurate quote based on this. Mine was with Sanitas, which is a good company, and usually one of the cheaper ones, so you could just try their website directly.

Separately, you can also "move" to Spain in the sense of having a holiday home here, just as many Brits and Germans (and many others) have done over the years. There is a bit of bureaucracy (you have to get your NIE), but Spain has no barriers against foreigners/non-residents owning property. With your British passport you have a visa-free allowance of (up to) 90 days in 180 days. (So, in total, approximately, 6 months a year allowed.) And you can get your EHIC/GHIC in the UK (for free) which entitles you to free healthcare in the Spanish public system if anything happens while here. (However. due to the seriousness of your conditions, while this great to have during a short holiday, I'm not sure this would be a recommendable option long-term.)