Hi

We are coming over to live permanently in August. My children already have temporary SIP cards. I've been told that children are covered under the Spanish Health system. We are both under retirement age and therefore, don't qualify for Healthcare in Spain so we are looking at the private route. However, are our children covered in Spain anyway or would we have to include them on any private policy we take out? Have head ADLESA?? supposed to be good - any help much appreciated. Thanks.

Viv

As you've posted on this site, I'm assuming you are moving to the Torrevieja area (Sherlock Holmes, me). If you are coming to move out permanently and take up residency you will be entitled to health care in Spain regardless of whether you are under retirement age or not. If you search on previous posts, you will see an article from the Costa Blanca News which explains all about health care. It has also been covered quite extensively on other posts. However, if you are moving to Murcia province, you may not be covered as all Spanish regions are autonomous and have their own rules. Valencia province, however, will give you the full benefits of the Spanish health system provided you take up residency.
You may want to take out private health insurance as it gives you access to the non-public hospitals like the one in San Jaime but I am led to believe the care at the new Torrevieja hospital is excellent as is the care provided by Spanish GPs.
If you are unsure of which region you are living in, look at the road numbering system where you are living. If the roads are numbered CV (Comunitat Valencia) you are in the Valencia province. If they begin MU you are in Murcia.

I can confirm it´s different in Murcia as we´ve lived in both regions. We now have to pay into the system to get our son covered. Murcia seems to have a problem with kids not having a national insurance number of their own.

Thanks for that - we are moving to San Miguel. There are so many horror stories on TV these days about ex-pats living in Spain and not being covered, we were beginning to get paranoid!! Great to read about the new Costa Blanca Channel over there - we have almost stopped watching TV here - for four nights this week, nothing worth watching - we don't have satellite but we do have Freeview. Roll on August when we can 'chill' in the sun and forget about TV for a while!

We have private care with Adeslas and can highly recommend them.

http://www.adeslas.es

I agree with bobaol - the healthcare here is excellent, and regardless of age you are covered if you are an EU resident. The same applies for the children.

You need to at least be on the padron, and you should apply for residency, then as you are under retirement age you qualify under an EU directive (cant remember the number!) but the health centres are well aware of it. The children have to be registered on the padron too.

If you have EHIC cards (which replaced the E111 form) then these give you temporary cover for 2 years - but you have to renew every 6 months.

We are registered at the health centre at Cabo Roig - my OH had a heart attack in the UK a year ago and sees the cardiologist there, he has no problem getting the same drugs as he was taking in the UK.

My son has seen the paediatrician for minor infections a couple of times too.

Can't praise them enough - you an always get an appointment when you need them and the staff are wonderful.

Beastess - Do you mean a UK NI number? I was told by the DWP in the UK that even children have a National Insurance number, its just that under normal circumstances, the kids don't have any need for it and therefore don't find out about it till they get their card at 16. You should be able to find out what it is if its needed!

In San Miguel, Torrevieja or OC no problem. But believe me (and we learned the hard way) they will not cover kids in MUrcia unless you pay into the system. Their lack of an insurance number seems to be the problem.

Just before my daughter turned 16 I was in touch with DWP, they told me as the family was out of the uk tax ect... system and not claiming child benifit, no number would be given.
My daughter had to apply in person with relevant paperwork , she also had to prove her abode and that she was going to be paying into the system once her number was issued , she was treated like any other person coming to live in the uk , regardless she was born in Britain .
Same as when she went to register at our old doctors , needed proof of contributions into the system .
It was an eye opener at the time , but , I am sure its diffrent in other parts of Britain

The OP is going to be in Valencia tho? So I was commenting on the Valencian system. With regards to the NI number, DWP told me that it is issued at birth, so it does exist if the child was born in the UK..

Again my circumstances may be different as I still get Incapacity Benefit from the UK, and my child benefit as I am unable to work, so therefore my 4 year old is covered as a dependant.

Apoloigies for any confusion!

My son was born in the UK but was not given an NI number just a health card - different thing. Believe me Murcia will only accept NI numbers.

My son was born in the UK but was not given an NI number just a health card - different thing. Believe me Murcia will only accept NI numbers. Anyway, that´s not a problem in OC, etc.

The NI number isn't issued in the UK till the child is 16 but I was assured by the DWP there *is* one allocated from birth - it is needed for the E121 so they said they would get it for me, might be worth a call back to the UK!

Too late really. We tried everything to get past the bureaucracy. Anyway, I guess paying in will ensure I get a pension here in due course.

If you go into the medical centre at San Miguel and speak to Jeanette who works there, she will be able to help you. She works for the medical centre as a translator and is very helpful in pointing out what you need. She helped us out a few years ago and more recently when I was organising my daughters medical and injections for strating school.

My social security payments cover me for my medical care for SIP and I had to get a letter from Orihuela stating my responsibility for my daughter so that my contributions would cover her as well. I then took all of this back to the medical centre and voila SIP cards!!!

Mel

Hi Woodybird

I was interested to see that you say you still get child benefit as you are unable to work.

My understanding of child benefit ( seperate thing to income support etc) is that it is a fixed weekly amount per child and payable to all families with children regardless of income, or weather working or not, and is not a benefit you can claim once no longer residing in the UK, and it is in no way related to an individuals ability to work or not.

If it is now possible to claim this when living permently in Spain i would be very happy to know this and how i can start reclaiming it as i stopped this when i left the uk.

Thanks
Jacks