Spain is one of the best medical care providers in the world. Doctors in Spain are required to undergo and pass intensive training and exams to get licensed to practice. Their healthcare system has progressive medical instruments and technologies, making their goal of keeping their people in good shape and giving aid and treatments to those who need them a topnotch. There are over 20,000 pharmacies and more than 400 hospitals in Spain. There is presumably one clinic hospital ten to fifteen minutes - or less - away from a village or neighborhood.
Spain has a vigorous public healthcare system (Spanish National Health System or SNS) with an option to have private medical care. If you are residing and working in Spain, you and your family are eligible to receive free basic healthcare from the public healthcare system that includes general and family medicine, nursing, pediatrics, and other range of specialties. The fund is sourced out from the social security contributions paid by deducting particular fees from the salary. Since the Spanish healthcare system was decentralized, you must check your area for the nearest public health care providers. For starters, you can look at the Ministry of Health, Consumption, and Social Welfare's public catalog of urgent or primary care providers in Spain. Once you get admitted to a hospital and stayed for a night, underwent surgery, and or received a substantial amount of prescriptions, additional fair payment should be made. Getting a premium insurance policy can give you wider coverage and can lessen the likelihood of having unexpected additional emergency fees. Private medical insurance in Spain offers fewer restrictions in terms of nationality. Most of the Spanish residents and citizens buy private healthcare insurance for wider access to treatments and care. It could range from €60 to 200 a month based on the coverage of your policy. Some of the known private insurance providers in Spain are Allianz Care, Cigna Global, and Sanitas.

To compare their prices and policies, you can use Acierto.com.

• Spanish Healthcare Registration

Make sure you register first on their Dirección General de la Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social or TGSS or social security. Estimated standard contribution rates are as follows: 4.7% for employed, 1.55% in unemployment and 0.1% in vocational training. You can visit Spain's social security website to give you an idea of how much you need to contribute and to check in with the local social security offices. Prepare your passport and or identification card, certificate of residency, and verification that your address is registered at the town's municipal office for your registration. Once registered, you will be assigned a social security number and will be handed a certification stating that you are entitled to get medical care.

• Healthcare as an expat

If you are an expatriate in Spain, you have access to the national health system if you are a child resident in Spain, an expectant mother and a resident in Spain, has a Spanish state pension, studying in Spain and below 26 years old, employed or self-employed but paying social security taxes, Spanish resident but just got a divorce or parted ways from a partner registered in the social security system or just staying in Spain temporarily but is an EHIC card holder. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) permits residents of the EU/EEA and Switzerland to have access to public healthcare - free or at a discounted cost - when outside their home country and is traveling to a member state of the European Union (EU).

Before visiting or moving to Spain, you must make sure your EHIC is well-updated - which means do the necessary actions for your card renewal and research your EHIC healthcare coverage limitations. Take note that EHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance. It is still best to have them both when traveling within the EU member states. EHIC does not include private medical assistance. In fact, in some cases of insurance applications, EHIC is a prerequisite. Are you also allowed to have an EHIC if you are a non-EU citizen? Yes, considering you are legally residing in an EU member state as a non-EU citizen. You can acquire an EHIC through your social security contribution or by paying upfront. Check the local medical centers in your area within your host country for an EHIC offer to a non-EU resident. Since you are a non-EU resident in an EU member country, there are also specific restrictions within your EHIC. Government rules state that a non-EU EHIC holder is not allowed to receive public healthcare in Denmark, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland, to name one. PRO TIP: For non-EU citizens, it is always advised to check and purchase health insurance for Spain in your own country.

• Emergency in Spain

In case of an emergency in Spain, call 112 immediately for an ambulance or police assistance. If possible, go to the nearest urgencias or emergency department in your area. As stated under the law in Spain, all citizens and residents - foreign or not - are eligible to be given treatment, and that public or private health institutions are required to provide help and care to such individuals during emergencies.

Also, it's generally a good advice and often much cheaper option to check what insurance packages are available in your own country and what coverage they offer in Spain.