Medical services in Spain

It´s a universal public health service, and you will not have any problems in getting health care in any public hospital. Spain´s healthcare is recognised as one of the best in the world and covers all type of health issues with excellent professionals and top equipment. You will not be asked to pay anything, most likely they will ask for your US insurance card and they will manage this situation.

Of course, your US insurance will normally also have agreements with private hospitals that will take care of you.

I sort of thought that, but I appreciate the confirmation. I was just at AAA getting my international driving permit and they tried real hard to sell me travel insurance in case I needed it for medical care!

Do you have insurance other than Medicare? If so, you will be fine, the other concern would be evacuation insurance to get you home

No need to worry, everyone is welcome, one of the many benefits of universal healthcare, you'll probably get better and significantly more affordable healthcare (in some cases even zero cost) in Spain than in the US anyway. When you're in Spain also take a look at some of the drug prices you'll see at the pharmacy, I'm sure your mouth will drop by how inexpensive they are 😂

Fingers crossed you'll never need to experience this side of Spain first hand however.

Good information, thank you. Do you know if you can request drugs that would require prescription in the US the same way you can in Mexico??

If the drugs need a prescription, you´ll need a local doctor´s permission to get it at subsidized prices. If not, and as per my experience with some of my visitors, they have shown their US doctor´s prescription and they´ve got their drug, but at a market price (which is significantly lower than in the US even if non-subsidized).

maggidavis- Some drugs that are by prescription here are over-the-counter there. And some that are over-the-counter here are prescriptions there. It can depend on the specific drugs. Whatever the classification, expect the pharmacist to stick to it, versus some Mexican pharmacies being... let's call it flexible with the regulations.

You folks are talking about emergency (A&E) care, right? Or can I go to Spain and get my hip replacement, chemotherapy, and psychiatric treatment for free as well? Just trying to be clear. 😐

Or can I go to Spain and get my hip replacement, chemotherapy, and psychiatric treatment for free as well? Just trying to be clear

They call that medical tourism I think, but theoretically you'd need a local doctor to refer you to these procedures. I considered briefly returning to Spain to perform a surgery there instead of in the US, due to cost.

My question was strictly about medical emergency, but I understand there is a thriving medical tourism business in Northern Costa Rica…especially cosmetic procedures.

Carlos,. I knew many people who went to their ancestral home (soviet-bloc) countries to do that back in the '60s and '70s. Dentures and dental care were popular reasons, as dental insurance was pretty much unknown. But my point was to clarify that routine medical care wouldn't be necessarily free, for non-tax-paying tourists

I sort of thought that, but I appreciate the confirmation. I was just at AAA getting my international driving permit and they tried real hard to sell me travel insurance in case I needed it for medical care!

Did you check to see if your U.S. health insurance covers you in Spain? While Spain will provide services in the event of an emergency, you are still on the hook to pay for it since you are not a citizen. Some private insurance will cover you overseas (usually out of network). Traditional Medicare will not. You should call your healthcare insurance provider to confirm if you have coverage overseas.

I have not had the chance to contact my Medicare supplement yet but will do so. It would definitely be out of network… thanks for the heads up.

Stan, we are obviously referring to emergency situations. For chemotherapy, hip replacement, sex change, cancer or psychiatric treaments you just need to be a resident (even a temporary one) and you´ll get all that covered at no cost.

MikelBasqueGuide, my question was not entirely serious (hence the emoji indicating humor) but I think its important to be clear. There were no qualifiers in some of the comments.

You´re right, Stan...sometimes words are misinterpreted and it´s good to clarify!!

We always buy trip insurance. Our medical coverage doesn’t apply to Europen travel. It’s worth buying trip insurance for peace of mind.

If your supplemental Medicare does not cover you outside the U.S., you may want to look into Geoblue.
We purchased it and can use it for multiple trips abroad because it expires a year from the date of purchase.

If you are a US citizen, you can check if your insurance covers European trips.

My dad got very sick in Austria and hd to go to a emergency clinic. He paid out of pocket and then was rembursed by his insurance after sending in the paperwork. The cost was way less then an appointment in the US and the medicine was half the price of drugs in the US.

No-healthcare is not usually free in Europe. Americans usually have pay something-but not as astronomical as a US doctors visit.

We have received excellent medical care in several European countries ( France, Greece, Italy) for injuries and illnesses. One time I paid 3€ for being stitched up in an ER, and it was well done. We always buy medical evacuation insurance.