Spanish Healthcare

     Healthcare is something definitely worth mentioning. I really like Spanish Healthcare. I think it's very different and more accessible than it is in the U.S. So what's the difference? Well for one there are two types of healthcare, seguridad social (Universal Healthcare) and privada (private). Lets look at them both in more detail.

                                                                                        Seguridad Social

     This is your basic universal healthcare available to the public for free. When I say free I mean that if you have it and get sick you don't have to pay anything. I'm sure everyone has to pay taxes to make this type of healthcare work. The downside to this type of healthcare is that your options are limited. You can only go to certain hospitals or clinics. So if you are sick make sure you go to a clinic that accepts seguridad social. Also you can only get seguridad social if you are a legal resident.

     If you don't have this type of healthcare and you go to the doctor you will have to pay out-of-pocket. This happened to me, but to my surprise four hospital visits and two ambulance rides costed me only a total of 170 euros!

                                                                                            Privada 

     Privada is your basic private healthcare insurance that we have in the U.S. However, there are some differences on how you can aquire this type of healthcare. You can obtain it from your place of employment or from.........wait for it..........your bank. Yes you heard right. If you have a Spanish bank account they can offer you private healthcare plans with monthly or annual payments. They will take the money straight from your bank account! You sign up using only your passport.

     After you get private healthcare you can download an app to make appointments, check your medical records and use a digital card, which has a number that you have to give the doctors when you see them. The number changes everyday. However, you will also receive a physical card in the mail (which takes forever).

   The bank will tell you what the plan covers and make recommendations on which plan is better. With private healthcare you can only go to a private hospital or clinic (which is better in my opinion). Also you can get private healthcare even if you are a non-resident. Also if you don't have either private or universal healthcare you can pay the doctor bill inside the bank. The invoice will tell you which bank to go to and you can pay at the ATM machine.

                                                                                     Can you get both?

     Well no..... you can have one or the other, but not both. This applies to everyone including citizens. If you are a illegal resident your only option is private healthcare. However, if you are a legal resident or citizen you can choose between the two.

                                                                                     My thoughts

    I think both options are good, but I think that private is better. I like the hospitals as they don't have that hospital smell combined with that cold haunted feeling that you have in normal hospitals. Also the doctors are very thorough.

   Well that's all I have about healthcare. I hope you found this post helpful and have a better understanding of how Spanish healthcare works!

Hasta Luego!