Healthcare when living in Spain

Its most important features are the universal right to medical care (covering approximately 99.4% of population), public financing and the decentralisation of its management in the regional governments.

Each of Spain’s Autonomous Regions has a health care service offering every single person residing in Spain medical care.

All foreign nationals who work in Spain and contribute to Spanish Social Security receive a medical card with their personal details and social security number. Once you have received your Social Security Affiliation Card you can apply for an Individual Health Care Card at you nearest health centre. Holders of this card are entitled to receive free medical care and hospital treatment for themselves and their families. The Spanish Health Care System covers 60% of prescription drug costs with the remaining 40% paid for by the patients.

If you decide to take out private medical insurance then the private health care sector in Spain is excellent offering specialists in all fields.

To see one of these specialists in the public health system you have to be referred by your family doctor. This is also often the case with some private health insurance policies, but the big difference between the two is how long you wait to see a specialist. In the public health system the waiting times can be long, regardless of what the law states.