I am an American moving to Spain this August with plans to stay for a year or so. I have been looking into several international health insurance plans with the best coverage and monthly rates. Does anyone know of a good, inexpensive health plan out there?

Sanitas or Adeslas are good, about 6.000/month, which is about 30 dollars.

I've been a member of Sanitas for quite a few years now and recommend them (says Anchovy Front, the insurance salesman).

Have a look at their web site www.sanitas.es and you will get info in English and can obtain an exact individual quotation.
Each time you use the scheme you pay a small fee of a few hundred pesetas and you have to use their medical services ie doctors, specialists etc, but there is a good choice and I have always been impressed with them.

Anchovy,

It sounds like a good plan to me. It reminds me of our own HMOs (health management organizations) back here in the colonies. You go to their doctors, etc, and pay a small co-pay for the services. In fact, my wife and I were on one until a few months ago, when the company she works for changed to a new carrier.... horrible benefits now, and the deductible is enough to choke a horse. I wish we had the HMO back...

I tried using the link you put on the post but kept getting told it was either not available, or didn't exist. Of course that could be due to the fact my ISP up here in jack pine savage country isn't cooperating. That I'd believe, since I only get 26,400 as a connection.

I suggested that the telephone company stretch the strings tighter between the tin cans we use as phones so more vibration would go through the lines when we yelled into them. For some reason, they didn't think that was a bit funny

Fortunately I brought my satellite TV receiver with me. They are a bit behind here. They just announced over the radio that Clinton had been elected to his second term as President

Wolf (who respectfully needs insurance that covers psychiatric help without a dollar cap.)

Wolf- do you still plug your phone into a tree and your toaster into a gopher hole?

I'll bet you get good reception out there...

CaliBasco (who rarely ventures outside his own 3' x 3' Southern California backyard)

CaliBasco,

Ah yes! Couldn't have described it better myself. My guess is you visited my neck of the woods.

You know one thing that's always bothered me Cali? It's those deer crossing signs we see everywhere in Minnesota & Wisconsin. How do they get the deer to cross at those signs?

Wolf (Puzzled by road signs & other mysteries.)

Oh dear, or should it be deer?,

WOW-Wolf gave good reviews to an HMO! I work for one and I'm so used to getting berated that I'm afraid to tell people where I work!

Anyway...I just found this link on the American Embassy in Madrid website about health insurance for Americans abroad, I don't know anything about them, so I can't recommend anyone-- the link is:
http://travel.state.gov/medical.html

Sanitas has a program where one can get coverage in Spain and the US, but off course it will cost you more depending on your age.

[ 06-14-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

I've heard good things about both Sanitas and Adeslas from friends in Spain who have used both. Adeslas is cheaper, especially if you want insurance that will cover you throughout Europe.

Does anyone know what kinds of paperwork you need to get insurance through Spanish health insurance? We'll have residence visas... do we need the certificado de empadronamiento?

tia,
picara

[ 06-14-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

I'm not sure if having a residence permit gives you all the benefits of being a EU citizen. In any case, you should go to a Seguridad Social office and ask them about it.

If you have social security insurance in Spain, you'll be covered in the rest of the EU countries.

If you have a blue 'tarjeta de residencia' you will also receive a yellow social security card and full benefits.

Have you tried AAA? I've always been please with what they had to offer.

I guess what I really need is emergency medical coverage. Would it be better just to get travel insurance? Does AAA cover you for a year? Do I have to be able to prove that I have a student or residence visa to get emergency or travel insurance for a year?I know that Council Travel provides travel insurance for students and teachers, but does anyone know of emergency-type coverage that would be cheaper than Council Travel?

I'm from Canada and was a student in Connecticut for 2 1/2 years. Every year I would get a health plan with AAA that was above and beyond what I was provided with at the school. I also had coverage on the same plan for traveling to Greece. If I recall, on the one year plan I think you only get a certain number of days or months out of country. Because I was returning home during the summers, I would purchase the year plan and pay the extra for extra days beyond the # days covered by the plan. If I returned home during the time I was covered (like weekends or short holidays) I was reimbursed for those days since i wasn't considered out of the country. They also offered a 24 hr emergency service with this plan. I'll be going to AAA again this Thursday to get my health coverage for my trip to Spain & Portugal next week. Looking this over, I'm not sure I'm clear. But I hope it gives a bit of an idea of my experience. Keep in mind the plan I had probably isn't the only one they offer and your insurance level was based on your previous health history.

Anessa, if I were you I'd go with Sanitas. I had a policy with them for about 12 years, and they're really good. It just makes sense to me to have more than just emergency coverage, and they're not that expensive. I don't want to scare you, but I have noticed that some Americans who go to Spain to live come down with some sort of minor medical problem the first year - usually respiratory, like a cold that won't go away - that clears up eventually. They aren't emergencies, but it is good to see a doctor to get help with something when it becomes a real annoyance. You just don't know what might happen, and poor health can really mess up your plans in a big way.

On the other hand, if you want to get more information on travel insurance, I use TravelGuard, and they seem really good (although I haven't had to file any claims - and hope not to have to!). Their website is at www.travelguard.com and their phone number is 877-216-4885. Their website doesn't have rates for trips over 30 days, and they recommend you call them for those rates. You may want to try calling to see how they compare to the others you have info on.

Good luck!

Hola!
Travelguard is good, but I just got off the phone with them and they only offer 30 days coverage and then $5/day for everyday after that. A bit expensive...don't you think? Go to www.languagesabroad.com
They offer coverage for up to 2 years and have a $22/week rate or if you are staying for awhile you can get a monthly rate of $72. Give them a try...