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Is BUPA UK health insurance ok for Spanish residency?

Last activity 18 January 2020 by LolaSmith

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Nic2549

I'm considering moving to Valencia in 2019. I have a long-term health issue which is covered by private healthcare in the UK, but is unlikely to be covered if I take out a new policy for Spain. Does anyone know if the Spanish authorities consider UK private healthcare cover to be acceptable? My condition won't result in an acute issue, but needs to be monitored and may need treatment at some stage.
Nic

Johncar

You will need full medical cover with no co-payments.  That is same cover  one has with say the NHS. in U.K.

Providing that is so then it will be OK but you will probably need an official translation of the policy

I assume you have confirmed with BUPA that they will continue the policy if you move to spain

DelhiPat

Hi Nic. I had Int’l BUPA cover ( living in India) and successfully transferred to SANITAS in Spain. It is not a direct transfer but the cover starts immediately and all pre- existing issues are covered as SANITAS is a BUPA affiliate. The MAS 90 cover does fit all the requirements. Contact them and they will be happy to assist. Pat

LolaSmith

Hello! How was your experience with SANITAS Mas 90? I understand it is a "reimbursement" policy (you pay upfront and submit a claim afterwards) that allows you to choose the doctors you want to see. We prefer the "reimbursement"  option rather than Cuadro Medico where you can only see the doctors within their network. Any recommendations are welcome!

DelhiPat

Excellent service.  All we do is present our card and all treatments prepaid directly. I understand that you can choose any doctor/hospital you wish. No experience of a reclaim issue yet ( if doctor/ hospital does not accept your card/insurance) but suggest you call them for information. I do know that on the dental cover you can only used their approved clinics/doctors
Hope this helps
Pat

LolaSmith

Thank you for the quick response! That sounds good. We very much prefer to pay upfront and claim back, as I have been told doctors in the 'cuadro medico' are paid very little per appointment by the health insurances. Do you have any thoughts on DKV Mundisalud, Cigna Reembolso, Adeslas Extra, Sanitas Blua?

DelhiPat

I can only speak to Sanitas. I was also with BUPA International and Sanitas was the only one that started cover immediately and accepted all pre-existing conditions for both my wife and self. We have only been to the IMED hospital for check-ups and tests. All was paid directly by Sanitas. So far so good. Give them a call for any queries. Most helpful. Good luck. Pat

LolaSmith

Thank you Pat!! I have not decided on the exact insurance provider, but what I know for sure is that I want a "reembolso" policy. Reimbursement policies seems to give you the most flexibility to pick and choose your doctors.

Johncar

BUPA and Sanitas are in the same group (effectively same company) so clearly they take on customers from each other without any complications !

LolaSmith

Thank you Johncar!
We have decided to join DKV Mundisalud. We do not have any pre-existing condition so we had flexibility with which insurance to choose. All the 'reembolso' policies looked pretty good, and a lot better value than in the UK. Mapfre Reembolso, and Sanitas Mas 90 also looked good. I will tell you about my experience with them in the coming months in case it is helpful!

Johncar

Lola.  I am sure you do,  but just in case.  Remember what I said earlier:  if you intend to live here. and will not be working,    “You will need insurance which provides full medical cover with no co-payments.  So same cover one has with the NHS. in U.K. “

LolaSmith

Hello John! Sorry, I missed your last message. You are completely right. That is a very important point. Ours provides full medical coverage with no copayments within their "cuadro medico" as the basic ones, but additionally we can choose to go private to out-of-network doctors and we get a reimbursement of 80% of the cost. We wanted to have this option as we like doctors to take their time with us :) and we know doctors within the insurances' "cuadro medico" are paid very little (therefore appointments may be shorter, not as thorough, etc). Thank you for your help! L

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