A weekend getaway, summer holidays, a trip around Spain to celebrate your wedding anniversary... All these trips can be planned differently, depending on the duration, the number of travellers, or the chosen destination. However, all these trips have one thing in common: what if I get sick during the trip?
Unfortunately, no one is immune to emergencies when away from home, so it is important to plan for this situation and avoid additional worries. And when we say additional worries, we are also talking about money. If you are thinking of travelling to a Spanish destination, this article is for you. In it, we will talk about Spanish hospital charges for tourists, and we will also give you some recommendations so that you can travel safely and with peace of mind.
To begin with, many people think that as citizens of the European Union, they don't need to do anything when they come to Spain. They assume that they are covered by the public health system, just as they are in their country of origin. But this is not exactly the case.
Tourists who are EU citizens (i.e. those who are residents of one of the 27 member states of the European Union) and who have an emergency during their stay in Spain can present their European Health Insurance Card at the emergency room. With this card (which you must apply for before travelling), you are guaranteed immediate emergency care, just as a Spanish citizen would receive. However, this card does not cover non-urgent medical care, and you may have to pay an additional fee.
On the other hand, if you are travelling from a non-EU country, you will not be covered by the public health system. In this case, you will need to have private health insurance, which you must take out before arriving at your destination. Does this mean that if you come, for example, from the United States to spend a few days in Málaga and you do not have health insurance, you will be left stranded on the street? Not exactly.
Continuing with the example, if you came from the United States and needed emergency hospital care during your stay in Malaga, you would be admitted through the emergency room at the nearest available hospital. However, you would have to pay for all the costs incurred during your visit to the emergency room or hospital admission, if necessary. Depending on the hospital, they may require immediate payment or a commitment to pay later. And as you can imagine, these costs are not exactly cheap.
At this point, if you are in Spain without coverage and have a medical emergency, you will have to pay for the care you receive. You are probably wondering how much it will cost and whether you will need a loan to cover the costs. The good news, given the circumstances, is that hospitalisation in Spain is not the most expensive in the world. That honour goes to the Principality of Monaco, where a day in hospital can cost around €3,000. However, in Spain, the average cost of a day in hospital is around €400.
It is true that the price can skyrocket if you need to stay in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), where the daily cost can be between €800 and €1,800, depending on the autonomous community you are in and whether the hospital is public or private. Diagnostic tests, such as a CT scan, could cost around €200, and surgery could cost upwards of €2,000, depending on the complexity of the case.
Imagine you have a real emergency, such as a heart attack or pulmonary embolism. Between the cost of the emergency room visit, the tests needed to determine your actual condition, and the cost of hospitalisation for, let's say, a week, you could easily pay an average of €4,000.
If you've made it this far, you'll have realised that the best way to save money and avoid problems when going on holiday is to take out good health insurance. Although this insurance is not compulsory for foreigners visiting Spain, in my opinion it is essential to ensure your well-being and the well-being of your family.
If you are packing your bags for your next trip, you should take a look at Caser Expat Insurance policies. If you browse their website, you will see that they offer a wide range of insurance policies designed for expats arriving in Spain, from home insurance to car insurance and even insurance for your pets.
But what we are concerned with today is health insurance specifically, among which you will find different options depending on your needs: Integral, Adapta, Prestigio, Adapta for residency permit, etc. The best thing to do is to see which of these plans best covers your current needs, and then you can use the price calculator. With this tool, you can get a quote in less than a minute.
When you take out Caser insurance, you have the backing of more than 45,000 professionals who will be at your service in more than 13,000 health centres throughout the country. If you wish, you can consult the frequently asked questions for more information.
In the end, no one is immune to unexpected health issues while on holiday. It doesn't matter if it's just indigestion or a broken bone. The important thing is that when the time comes, you know who you can trust. Now you know what the Spanish hospital charges for tourists are, so you have no excuse not to be prepared before your next trip. Also, don't forget to check what documentation is required in your destination country, so that you don't have any problems when identifying yourself at the health centre or with your insurance company. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
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If you are searching for health insurance in Spain, Caser Expat Insurance has the right policy for you!
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