Prescription Charges in Spain for non residents

[King]

My friends came to Spain in February for 20 days, they were locked down for almost 5 months, they had their ETHIC card and their prescription details on their phones,  they submitted all the details to the pharmacy, they were STUNNED when they learned they had been charged Euro 120 for their medication, I have researched this and they ought not to have been charged, does anyone else have information on this please.

Could it be that your friends purchased medication privately by going straight to a Pharmacist in Spain without first seeing a GP? Patients would be treated in a similar way in the UK, except that the UK Pharmacist would refuse to supply most drugs without a prescription. For those drugs, which he was permitted to supply without prescription, the Pharmacist would determine his own appropriate charge. An EHIC card seems to be irrelevent in both scenarios, and I can see no grounds for reinbursement at a later stage except as a possible claim against travel insurance (although I suspect that too is likely to be deemed invalid by most insurers).

As Cartron correctly states:
   "How to use it
    Show your EHIC when you visit any state hospital or doctor [sic 'not a pharmacist']. You cannot use an EHIC for private healthcare."

A non-UK European can visit a UK GP with his EHIC card and get an NHS prescription for medication, which the GP agrees to be appropriate following a consultation. He may then take that prescription to a Pharmacist and get his drugs at the current charge of £9.15/item, or free if over 60. I presume the procedures are similar for UK residents visiting Spain, but probably the charging rules are a little more complex or even typically obtuse (perhaps others can advise)!

Debra, the one consolation for your friends is that their medication was fairly cheap. Some cancer drugs cost 1000â,¬+/month! Even if your friends had followed the procedures correctly through a Spanish GP, they would still have been charged for their prescription! As far as I'm aware, no-one gets free medication in Spain: a UK visitor with an EHIC card, following all the rules correctly, should still be charged the same as Spaniards and Spanish residents. Finally, if they had travel insurance, presumably it would have been been invalidated by their extended stay in Spain, unless their insurance company has been particularly generous over their unexpected predicament!

[Tetley]

My friends came to Spain in February for 20 days, they were locked down for almost 5 months, they had their ETHIC card and their prescription details on their phones,  they submitted all the details to the pharmacy, they were STUNNED when they learned they had been charged Euro 120 for their medication, I have researched this and they ought not to have been charged, does anyone else have information on this please.

if they have been charged...they should be able to claim it back from the UK  if they are eligible to claim it back .....from memory.

my lad helped a friend out at AE  with the  ETHIC health card,the person was charged 250e for the care and told to claim it back from the UK  govi, in the end he manged to sort it but i think this is an option to charge  at care  delivery point  then punter  re  claim from home state govi 

[lmj52]

Yes it’s important to know the ins and outs. We had to get private medical insurance to get residency, but that didn’t cover medication.
Thankfully after the first year we were able to join the Spanish health system via the universal health care process.

[byrney]

Well, Cartron, that was an excellent resume of what happens.

Thanks for that.

I think it's enlightened lots of us - certainly I didn't know the intricacies.

Of course it simply emphasises what Tetley is always going on about - make sure you have the necessary health insurance cover before venturing abroad!  And that applies to us residents of Spain travelling abroad!

[Cartron]

From Gov.UK.     See the section on prescriptions. Not free .

Guidance
Healthcare for UK nationals visiting Spain
How to get state healthcare when you’re on holiday or travelling to Spain.

Published 31 January 2020
Last updated 13 March 2020 â€" see all updates
From:
Department of Health and Social Care
Contents
Coronavirus (COVID-19) travel advice
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
Travelling with a health condition
Travelling to have planned treatment
Coronavirus (COVID-19) travel advice
See the latest health advice for UK travellers following the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Sign up for Spain travel advice email alerts.

This information is about visiting Spain. There’s different guidance for healthcare if you’re going to live, study or work in Spain.

You can use a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in Spain until the end of 2020.

If you’re visiting Spain on 31 December 2020, you can continue to use your EHIC until the end of your visit to Spain.

An EHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. Make sure you have both before you travel.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
An EHIC covers state healthcare, not private treatment.

With an EHIC you can get medically necessary treatment in Spain on the same basis as a Spanish citizen. This means that you’ll get healthcare services for free or at a reduced cost.

An EHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance â€" it does not cover everything, such as mountain rescue or being flown back to the UK. Make sure you have both before you travel to Spain.

You may need to pay in full for treatment if you do not have an EHIC.

How to apply
Apply for an EHIC for free on the NHS website.

How to use it
Show your EHIC when you visit any state hospital or doctor. You cannot use an EHIC for private healthcare.

Find out what an EHIC covers in Spain.

Find an English-speaking doctor in Spain.

Replacing a lost or stolen EHIC
If you’re still in the UK, you can apply for a new EHIC for free on the NHS website.

You’ll need to apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) if your EHIC is lost or stolen abroad.

EHIC from 1 January 2021
You’ll still be able to access healthcare using a UK-issued EHIC for visits to Spain that begin from 1 January 2021 if you’re either:

a UK State Pensioner living in the EU before the end of 2020
a UK student studying in the EU before the end of 2020 until your course finishes
a ‘frontier worker’ (someone who works in one state and lives in another) before the end of 2020, for as long as you continue to be a frontier worker in the host state
an EU national living in the UK before the end of 2020
Travelling with a health condition
Buy travel insurance with healthcare cover for your condition. Your EHIC will cover medically necessary treatment.

Read the Money and Pensions Advice Service guidance for buying travel insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Bring any documents about your health condition or what medication you’re taking.

If you need to have treatment while you’re in Spain, you may need to pre-arrange it. For example, if you need oxygen treatment or dialysis.

Speak to your doctor in the UK for advice before you travel.

Getting prescriptions
You can use a UK prescription to get medicine from pharmacies in Spain.

Prescription medicines are not free in Spain. With an EHIC you get a reduced rate, but you’ll still pay:

50% of the prescription price
10% of the prescription price if you have a UK State Pension â€' you may need to show proof that you’re a pensioner to pay this rate
These prescription charges are non-refundable.

If you need oxygen therapy during your visit
You can get oxygen therapy with an EHIC, but you need to arrange this before you travel.

You must send a written request to the Spanish health authority in the area you plan to visit at least one month before you travel.

Find out how to request oxygen therapy in Spain. This guide includes:

a letter template in Spanish that you can download and complete
a list of contact details for Spanish health authorities
Bringing medicine with you
You need a letter to prove your medicine is prescribed to you if it contains a ‘controlled drug’. You may need to show this at the border when you’re entering or leaving the UK.

You may also need a licence for controlled drugs if:

your trip is longer than 3 months
you’re travelling with more than 3 months’ supply
Read more about travelling with controlled medicines.

You should also contact your nearest Spanish consulate before you travel to find out if you need to apply for a Spanish licence.

[debra]

My friends came to Spain in February for 20 days, they were locked down for almost 5 months, they had their ETHIC card and their prescription details on their phones,  they submitted all the details to the pharmacy, they were STUNNED when they learned they had been charged Euro 120 for their medication, I have researched this and they ought not to have been charged, does anyone else have information on this please.