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Hospital bill from spain

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I was on holiday in Magaluf in August and I’ve just received a bill I don’t speak Spanish but I think it says I owe 479 euros I’m from the uk and had travel insurance will this cover it or am I going to need to pay it, if I don’t pay it will anything happen ?
I should asked your insurance.
Wish you well , Peter .
 
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As a first instance get the thing translated. Typing the text into Google Chrome Translate will do that for you. If its for medical expenses then If you did not have or show your EHIC ( European Health Insurance Card - free for all UK/EC citizens) then yes, you are liable to pay for the medical treatment you received. However, if you had bought travel insurance for your trip then, subject to the terms and conditions of your insurance, you may be able to reclaim your costs.

If neither of the above apply then you are personally liable for your costs and if you do not pay them you may well find yourself taken aside at Passport Contol next time you try and enter Spain.

And by the way this is a forum about the Caminos de Santiago, the pilgrimage routes in Spain. If you need legal advice you are asking the wrong question in the wrong place.
 
Magaluf?? I didn't know there was a Camino on Majorca!! :):):).

Any bill for nhs equivalent treatment in another EU country will be paid by the dept. for social security over here, just take the invoice (with a translation) in with you.
If you didn't show them your EHIC card then do as above - scan each side and send it back with an explanation and then they will go directly to our nhs for the funds.
If you did not have an EHIC card - crikey!! why not? Fab card - instantly provides free nhs equivalent treatment with no forms!
Or indeed go to your insurers but if you did not phone them before treatment they are unlikely to pay out now.
As for the invoice - Google translate is good but not perfect - you could go to your local school and find the Spanish teacher? Take some doughnuts with you.
Or scan it onto here as you can bet you will get a really good translation.
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
As others have said, hopefully you have an EHIC card. Ring Newcastle Overseas Healthcare team. Tel 0191 2181999 they will advise you . You'll probably have to pay the bill then claim back the amount from Overseas Healthcare.
They will advise you.
I've done this with medical experiences I paid for while staying in France. It takes time (months) for them to process the refund but the staff are helpful and the system works.
 
I was on holiday in Magaluf in August and I’ve just received a bill I don’t speak Spanish but I think it says I owe 479 euros I’m from the uk and had travel insurance will this cover it or am I going to need to pay it, if I don’t pay it will anything happen ?

We submitted a bill to the insurance, but to avoid problems we went to our bank and let them pay it first. We got reimbursed within weeks from our insurance.
Buen Camino :)
 
As others have said, hopefully you have an EHIC card. Ring Newcastle Overseas Healthcare team. Tel 0191 2181999 they will advise you . You'll probably have to pay the bill then claim back the amount from Overseas Healthcare.
They will advise you.
I've done this with medical experiences I paid for while staying in France. It takes time (months) for them to process the refund but the staff are helpful and the system works.

I had the same - a French bill .. paid it, received the receipt, handed it in, and some time later when I had forgotten about it I received my refund - it works!!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I was on holiday in Magaluf in August and I’ve just received a bill I don’t speak Spanish but I think it says I owe 479 euros I’m from the uk and had travel insurance will this cover it or am I going to need to pay it, if I don’t pay it will anything happen ?
Hi Erin
Twice I have had medical attention in Spain. Each time as a Pilgrim I was not charged. You said you were holidaying so this might have a bearing on this.
 
... Twice I have had medical attention in Spain. Each time as a Pilgrim I was not charged. ...

Whilst this might happen occasionally, especially if the injury or similar is minor, the times were pilgrims got treated for free in Spain are long, long over. BC SY
 
Medical expenses may not always be fully reimbursed. It depends on the E.U. country and the arrangement they have with UK.
 
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Medical expenses may not always be fully reimbursed. It depends on the E.U. country and the arrangement they have with UK.

The rule is EU wide, part of the EU regulations and it is that EHIC card gives free treatment throughout the EU but specifically on the same terms as nationals of the country you are in.
so paid for insurance is always a good idea - an EHIC, for instance, doesn't cover the cost of repatriation, dead or alive.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
David you are correct. The sentence you underlined is the reason why one is not always fully reimbursed, it's definitely the case in France.
 
Whilst this might happen occasionally, especially if the injury or similar is minor, the times were pilgrims got treated for free in Spain are long, long over. BC SY

Since you live there, you obviously have better info than I do,SY. But here is what I have observed. If you are in a small pueblo with a medical attention place staffed by doctors, they are unlikely to have any way to generate a bill. For instance, a couple of years ago I was in La Robla and needed to get a tick bite looked at. The small office there had a doctor and a nurse, but nothing that would enable them to write up a bill and charge me. I suppose they could have declined to treat me, but I would be surprised if that happened. In a city with a large clinic or hospital, though, I know that bills are generated, and in fact sometimes you must pay upfront. This happened to me in a very modern private hospital in Lisbon, but the charge was a small fraction of what I would have been billed in the US. I think it was about 100 euros and involved hours of tests for pneumonia/allergy/unknown respiratory issue.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I, too, raised an eyebrow when I read some of the replies, like the one insinuating treatment for an STD.

And there are other explanations why a tourist - a forum outsider - asks a question about hospital bills from Spain, a topic that is obviously relevant for pilgrim-visitors, too: When you type hospital bill from Spain into Google, the first hit that comes up is a Camino de Santiago forum thread from August 2017 with the title Medical bill from Spain.

And with the exception of the posts in the Introduction section, all other posts, including everything in this thread, can be read from the outside, ie without coming back to the forum. You don't need to log in.
 
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They haven't been back since posting so haven't seen any replies.
Hi wayfarer
Yes I was responding to your post
If you read the replies that the OP got ...then you could work it out
One reply inferred that the OP had caught something nasty....need I spell it out.......antibiotics needed and all that!! and one reply inferred that only chavs visited the place ...
Yes I know that Magaluf has a bad reputation....
However we stayed there a few years ago and it was fine....for us....
Didn't catch anything though!!!!!!
Annette
 
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Annette, you are right, on a google search for "Hospital Bill from Spain" the first hit you get is that Forum thread from 2017, which, in summary follows the advice and the tone of the current thread. If the OP had read it he would have got all the advice he needed. Though he might have been better served by reading the "Money Saving Expert", "Tripadvisor" or even "NHS UK" hits that followed rather than just re-posting a question that had been answered.

I think Members, and Moderators, on this Forum do their best to be civil, informative and helpful. Sometimes we don't all rise sufficiently to the challenge.
 
Yes I know that Magaluf has a bad reputation....
However we stayed there a few years ago and it was fine....for us....
I've actually never visited Majorca but if you type Magaluf into Google News and read articles from 2018 and not from 2015, like the link above, you can read that they are making great efforts to change the focus of the kind of holiday makers they want to attract. I also know that Majorca is a great place for hiking and they even have their own Asociación Camí de Santiago Mallorca that aims to create or has already created a cami/camino on the island.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I was on holiday in Magaluf in August and I’ve just received a bill I don’t speak Spanish but I think it says I owe 479 euros I’m from the uk and had travel insurance will this cover it or am I going to need to pay it, if I don’t pay it will anything happen ?


Your travel insurance policy has contact information on it for this exact purpose i.e. for general purpose questions, claims, etc.
 
Hi Erin,

I do not have history dealing with medical services in Spain, but with Paris, France on May 6, 2018. I am a Canadian Citizen and have no connection with NHS or any other medical support service other than that which operates here in the Province of Ontario. Canada.

On May 6, I fell down a spiral staircase, head first, injuries which required a hospital visit. After care was received, I asked where to pay the bill and the Doctor and Nurses advised, together, "There is no cost."

I thanked them profusely and left to try and get my pilgrimage back on track.

However, in late October, I received an invoice from the hospital to pay for the services. Unlike you, I did not have Insurance so I paid the bill immediately through the Hospital's website.

Why pay? As the invoice was successfully sent to my home, it proves that they had all my pertinent information so if I did not pay, it could be placed on Customs databases and wait for me to return to France and cause an issue in being granted entry.

Though I have read a number of posts about this situation, and I made it a point to attempt to pay for the services received before I left the Hospital, when this does happen to any Pilgrim, I highly recommend that the bill be paid in a timely manner. If travel insurance was in effect, contact the carrier and advise that there was an incident as soon as you can. They will ask if you received a bill. If not, at least the note is on record that you received treatment and if / when an invoice is received, your claim is actually recorded and validated because of your first call.

Hope this helps.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I was on holiday in Magaluf in August and I’ve just received a bill I don’t speak Spanish but I think it says I owe 479 euros I’m from the uk and had travel insurance will this cover it or am I going to need to pay it, if I don’t pay it will anything happen ?
Fair is fair. Pass it along to your insurance and follow up with the to see it gets paid. A day in a US hospital would have cost 10x that.
 
I was on holiday in Magaluf in August and I’ve just received a bill I don’t speak Spanish but I think it says I owe 479 euros I’m from the uk and had travel insurance will this cover it or am I going to need to pay it, if I don’t pay it will anything happen ?


Love to hear more about the Camino there. Please do tell us.
 
As a first instance get the thing translated. Typing the text into Google Chrome Translate will do that for you. If its for medical expenses then If you did not have or show your EHIC ( European Health Insurance Card - free for all UK/EC citizens) then yes, you are liable to pay for the medical treatment you received. However, if you had bought travel insurance for your trip then, subject to the terms and conditions of your insurance, you may be able to reclaim your costs.

If neither of the above apply then you are personally liable for your costs and if you do not pay them you may well find yourself taken aside at Passport Contol next time you try and enter Spain.

And by the way this is a forum about the Caminos de Santiago, the pilgrimage routes in Spain. If you need legal advice you are asking the wrong question in the wrong place.
Exactly Tinkernan most of the answers to the question are really commonsense questions you always read your terms and conditions and ask questions to find out what you are covered for and ring the travel insurance immediately to inform them of your need to claim. Never ever had a problem with claiming my injuries on camino France last year they even covered pharmaceuticals
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Spanish hospitals have often refused EHIC cards from Brits. Totally against EU law.
 
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Since you live there, you obviously have better info than I do,SY. But here is what I have observed. If you are in a small pueblo with a medical attention place staffed by doctors, they are unlikely to have any way to generate a bill. For instance, a couple of years ago I was in La Robla and needed to get a tick bite looked at. The small office there had a doctor and a nurse, but nothing that would enable them to write up a bill and charge me. I suppose they could have declined to treat me, but I would be surprised if that happened. In a city with a large clinic or hospital, though, I know that bills are generated, and in fact sometimes you must pay upfront. This happened to me in a very modern private hospital in Lisbon, but the charge was a small fraction of what I would have been billed in the US. I think it was about 100 euros and involved hours of tests for pneumonia/allergy/unknown respiratory issue.
so my daughter got treated in a small emergency room in Astorga for a bad blister. Like you said just a Dr and nurse and no way for them to give us a bill. We offered to pay but they refused any money. Now we did have to give them my daughters address. We live in the USA. No travel insurance. just this week my daughter received a bill from Spain. It;s only 49 euro's and we have no issue paying it but we have no idea how. We can't send them an American check. We can't call them and give us a credit card over the phone due to language issues and I am hesitating giving out my credit card info. There is also no return envelope with address to send in cash ???????
 
I was treated in A&E then stayed overnight in a French hospital. On arrival they immediately asked for my French 'carte vitale' which I don't have, then asked for "carte European" (EHIC). Once I produced this all was well, observations, CT scan, overnight stay all took place. Before leaving the hospital I asked how I should pay for this care. I was escorted by a nurse to the offices and the staff just said they'd claim on my insurance (EHIC) .

Some weeks later at home in U.K. I received a bill for approximately €200 which I was able to pay through our French bank account. I then claimed that cost back via our EHIC system.
Just for info.
A visit to a French GP is paid for at the time by the patient ( and using receipts the patient can then claim some of this cost back from EHIC ), GPs in France usually don't accept EHIC cards instead of payment.
 
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It;s only 49 euro's and we have no issue paying it but we have no idea how. We can't send them an American check. We can't call them and give us a credit card over the phone due to language issues and I am hesitating giving out my credit card info. There is also no return envelope with address to send in cash ???????
I've been in that situation. That's why I give the advice to pay the bill in cash right then and there. SACYL, Castile and Leon's health service doesn't accept credit cards, at least not in 2016. They do accept bank transfers but, while free or almost free in the EU they are expensive in the US. I recommend that you have a friend in NL pay on your behalf and then reimburse him in some manner.

PS, US anti money laundering laws don't exactly help matters when dealing with the banks
 
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I was on holiday in Magaluf in August and I’ve just received a bill I don’t speak Spanish but I think it says I owe 479 euros I’m from the uk and had travel insurance will this cover it or am I going to need to pay it, if I don’t pay it will anything happen ?
 
My experience was that travel insurance covered 100% of my bill from hospital in lagrona €235. I am from 🇨🇦 Canada.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Spanish hospitals have often refused EHIC cards from Brits. Totally against EU law.

There are private and public health systems in Spain. I'll quote from the NHS website below but essentially you need to ensure you are heading for a public facility or in a dual facility that you are receiving public health service and not private.

The following is from the NHS:

"Some hospitals and health centres (centro de salud) offer both private (privado) and state-provided healthcare (asistencia sanitaria pública) and it is up to you to inform them which service you require. They may also often have separate surgery times for private patients and those treated under the state system.

Generally, if you are asked to pay upfront, you are not being treated under the Spanish state-provided health service and your EHIC will not be accepted.


Important: your EHIC does not cover private treatment. Any costs incurred for private healthcare are non-refundable.

You should be particularly careful if healthcare arrangements are made by a hotel or travel representative. They might reassure visitors that they can claim back whatever is paid out, but they are referring to private insurance and not the treatment given under the EHIC.

It's always advisable to have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation. Repatriation for medical treatment is not covered by the EHIC.

Remember to keep all receipts and any paperwork (make copies if necessary) as they might be needed by you or your insurance company to apply for any refund or reimbursement.

Spanish health authorities are decentralised, so systems can differ quite drastically. A directory to all regional health bodies in the autonomous communities can be found on the Spanish health ministry's website (information also available in English). Simply select your region on the map provided and look for the section marked Servicio de Salud (healthcare system)."
 

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