private healthcare

If you are not of Pensionable age, then Private Healthcare is the option or you could pay into the Spanish Health system and after a year get the Healthcare Cover from the Spanish system.

If you have a Spanish Bank, they may well have a Healthcare system, ASSA is a big name in that Department or try Mapfre. Friends of ours did have Private but had to go to Caravaca for initial diagnosis then travel to another town for any treatment.

Good luck with finding some more information from this info.

Rick

My wife and I have our health insurance with DKV. My wife became seriously ill last year, and DKV have been absolutely fantastic. 

BUT we have had to travel to obtain treatment and tests, mostly to the Quiron Hospital in Murcia. We have also used (I think) 8 other medical facilities in Murcia, Elche and Torrevieja. 

This seems to be quite normal. We have met numerous other people "doing the rounds" - each having different insurers.

Into the detail .... insurers may quote the various clinics and hospitals that they use, but in reality, they pick and choose exactly what services they contract for at which hospital. So if your insurer's brochure says that they use (say) Quiron or IMED hospitals/clinics, the city you have to go to depends on the medical service you need.   

We use a GP in our village (not the health centre) and she acts as the gateway into the DKV system - and she is very good at it. 

Our local GP works with DKV (which may be why our local insurance broker recommended DKV). 

So it seems that the most important thing is to have an insurer who works with your local GP.

Hello

Thank you for your reply .You didn,t say but I hope all good with your wife now.

You mentioned your local GP working for DKV . Are you close to Calasparra ? as we also will have to register with a G.P.

You also mentioned a ( local insurance broker) who recommended this service , do you have a contact ?

Im asking because we are using the lawyers recommended by the estate agents to supply us with this advice but im now having doubts about the information/ or lack of , we are getting.

Once again thanks

Michael & Karen

Hello again,

Thanks for the reply I,ll check out what the bank has and also the others you mentioned as im a few years from official retirement yet and will need for the first year.

All this info I,m enquiring about is meant to be given to us by the lawyers but to be honest the info they are supplying makes it apparent they don't have our interests at heart. And its not just in Spain because the UK lawyers dealing with our conveyancing are equally infuriating.

How do you go about registering with a local GP? or is this recommended by the health care providers

Once again thanks

Michael & Karen 

Hi guys - I think Private Healthcare Organisations have their own Dr's who you have to go to.

Make sure you get on the Padron and apply for Residency as soon as possible - does make things easier.

Registering in the Local Surgery is just a case of going down and speak to the people on reception to register. 

They do not speak English, so worth taking a translator to get what you want.

Rick

Thanks for the reply,

Will definitely need a translator.

I am assuming the town hall is in Calasparra.

Appreciate your replys as the closer we get to moving the more worrying it seems to become in trying to make it go as smooth as possible.

Michael & Karen

My wife is doing well - thanks for asking. But we're in this for the long haul.

We are the other side of Murcia city from you, so our doctor/local insurance agent would not be much help.

My suggestion would be to find out who your local GP is (the one who deals with private health insurance), and ask him/her which insurance companies he/she deals with (and which is best in terms of access to local treatment ... if he/she would be prepared to tell you).

Based on conversations with others, the costs don't differ too much between insurers. 

As Calasparra is quite close to Murcia city, I would assume that any significant treatment/surgery would be there. There are several private hospitals there (e.g. Quiron, MESA Castilla), as well as the big NHS hosital at Arrixaca, so I doubt you would need to go elsewhere unless you need something very specialised.

For what is is worth .... our Doctor speaks excellent English. The Quiron at Murcia provided us with a translator. We have managed OK at every other hospital/clinic ... usually because the staff have worked very hard with us.  

Hi guys - I think Private Healthcare Organisations have their own Dr's who you have to go to.

Make sure you get on the Padron and apply for Residency as soon as possible - does make things easier.

Registering in the Local Surgery is just a case of going down and speak to the people on reception to register. 

They do not speak English, so worth taking a translator to get what you want.

Rick

Yes the Town Hall is in the main square of Calasparra and when it comes to getting on the Padron, there is a young guy Danny, who speaks English and is very helpful.

If you need a Translator, we can put you in touch with someone we use for our Hospital appointments in Caravaca.

If there's anything else you want help with, let me know and I will try to give it to you.

Rick