I advertise ASSSA health insurance to include unlimited Primary Care.  Many people often advise me that they do not understand what primary care means.  Very simply it is the general practitioners visits, consultant's appointments and analysis.  Diagnostic procedures are also included in primary care until you reach the M.R.I. stage for which, of course, authorisation has to be obtained from the company.

Until this stage has been reached the client is in control of all primary care required.  This excellent service, in the case of ASSSA, is paid by a simple method of vouchers, the doctors then use these vouchers to obtain payment from ASSSA. It has been suggested that this is an old fashioned way of payment. ASSSA have looked at other ways and have decided the voucher system is the safest way for the client.  As ex pats we are used to visiting general practitioners before going any further with specialist's appointments and analysis. This system makes it very easy to do this, with specialist's appointments being organised by my office, or one of ASSSA support offices along the coast.

This professional service, if paying privately, can be very expensive in Spain, it is better to consider taking out insurance that will cover the visits and tests. There are different ways to do this. One way is to take out a Primary Care only plan which, in my opinion, is not sensible or viable. Why do I say that? The cost privately, depending on where you live, varies between 35 euros to 45 euros per visit to see a general practitioner, whilst a consultant can be around 100 euros. On average we tend to visit a doctor two or three times a year, sometimes it can, of course, be more. The expensive part of a Primary Plan more often is the diagnostic procedures, which would include blood tests.

After the diagnostics the decision would then be made to have surgery as an in-patient and there, of course, if a Primary Care only policy is taken, comes the difficult part. How does the plan handle in-patient treatment? Some people will obviously be in the state system, but it can mean starting from the beginning. The state doctors are in their full right to refuse to accept any of the results of the various tests carried out privately. If this situation occurs it will mean joining the waiting lists, which can be pretty daunting. If you are not entitled to state treatment then you will have to pay privately. This is why I am apprehensive about this type of plan .There are health insurers who offer no Primary Care, or those which carry very limited benefits, whilst with others you have to pay first and claim later, not ideal for busy people.

In my personal opinion, it is better to consider a plan which gives you access to the General Practitioner, Consultant, analysis, and diagnostic procedures but also covers you for hospitalisation, surgery, ICU and drugs not forgetting physiotherapy. At the same time it is well worth checking, if you are already with a health company, that your policy covers all oncology drugs. I appreciate there are some insurers that only cover diagnostics regarding oncology. This again could be a very hefty bill to have to pick up, do not assume anything, or only take the word of a salesman. Check always that it is in the policy document and you are comfortable with the wording.

There are no short cuts in planning your life in Spain in respect of your health, despite what many say to me that they are not going to be taken ill or, if the unexpected happens, they will just go to the national heath in Spain or return to the UK. Neither of these two options are available unless you are a full pensioner or pay your social.

Please feel free to contact my office for further information.

Jennifer