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And check that they didn't already pay them directly as some travel insurance companies will do. It seems strange that they waited this long. Post the bill so we can read it and translate it for you.@Kris47 ,
If you take a picture of the letter and post itI would be happy to translate it for you.
My guess is that you will have to pay and get your insurance company to reimburse you.
OMG! 55k$ a night! Now I undwratand why my Mexican relatives don't blink when they fly to the US to see a doctor for something more serious than a cold.... its a far cry from the $55,000 bill my wife's coworker got from a night's stay at a hospital in Mexico after a fall (In a nightclub!).
I did the Camino de Santiago in May of 2015 and had to go to a clinic near Tricastela for a hurt ankle. I spent maybe 20 minutes with a doctor there who told me to go to the Pharmacia and get anti inflammatory medicine, a brace and Ibuprofen. Just a week ago I received a bill for $260.00 - 2 years later. They did take my insurance information when I was there and did not ask for me to pay anything. The bill is accompanied by a notice that is in Spanish and I cannot read it.
How should I handle this? thanks so much for any help
Got it. Will PM you translation and you can then delete this as it contains personal info. Give me 5 minutes, or 11am est.Attached are the 2 letters from Spain.....much appreciate the help.
Ok, you can delete the photos.
So, you have to wire money from your bank to theirs at the account and address they show on the second picture, on the bottom left, in the square titled "forma de pago", to the left of the stamp. The account number is where it says Ingreso a la cuenta. They also provider you wit the SWIF and IBAN numbers your bank will need, so bring this with you to the bank.
The second page tells you the deadline to pay. It depends on when you received the bill. And they make sure you get a headache reading it!
If you received it between the 1st and the 15th of the month, you have until the 20th of the following month.
If you received it on the 16th or later in the month, you have until the 5th until not the following month, but the next.
So if received on the 13th of August, you have until september 20th. You received it yesterday, you have until October 5th to pay.
You must also add the invoice number on the wire. It is found on the second page in your photos, in the second box on the left hand column, Numero de factura.
I hope this helps! If you have other questions, just ask.
You're most welcome.Thank you so much!!!!! I will take it to my bank today. I really appreciate the help. Kris
What? A scam? Who, what, where, why?I have to agree that on the surface this situation appears to have elements of a scam, my perception by someone from the US. I had a similar situation with a scamming Texas doctor.
Would this "billing" be common in Spain? What do some of our Spanish members think? Is this really legitimate?
Perhaps do a little research first before wiring the money.
Get a speeding ticket from Italy: it will be mailed to you months after, and just before prescription kicks in. Such is life.Each country has differences in medical billing, how long after treatment a bill can be expected. It is useful to have an idea that from Spain, billing can be delayed quite a bit longer than might be expected by someone from the US.
She already said she was heading to the bank to pay. She never said she was trying to get out of paying.Hola @Kris47; I had to attend the University Hospital clinic in Salamanca back in 2013. I did not get out of the place without them handing me my account, (E104.80). The account included BSB & Account number (if I wanted to pay that way), or places in Salamanca I could pay in cash. So I agree with Kanga - please pay up. Cheers
Ok, my system was running a bit behind the play!She already said she was heading to the bank to pay. She never said she was trying to get out of paying.
Luckily I'm European. In one of my Camino walks I had to get medical treatment. This was made simple because I had taken out European cover which incidentally is free and you can get it done over the Internet. I guess It's prudent to flag this for those Europeans (sorry UK) planning to walk. GET YOUR COVER FOR FREE and have peace of mind. As an aside, the hospital ended up writing to me - thinking I had received an invoice. In fact it was just a letter telling me if I was not happy with the treatment I received I could write a letter of complaint in the self addressed envelope provided! Well, you could've knocked me down with a feather!! On my next Camino I might drop in and give them some flowers.
... realized that, at least in this hospital, they are not set up to bill people nor to accept payments. It took some time to generate an invoice, and more time to work out that they could only accept cash on the premises if we wanted to pay immediately. If a large hospital has these issues, I expect that many smaller health centres might be even less well prepared.
If you are in this position, I still would recommend trying to pay on the spot, even if it is going to take some of your cash reserves on the day.
I walked the Frances in March last year and had to seek medical services. I was charged $289 Euro at the hospital and then received another bill the beginning of this year for $189 Euro - no gratis offered. I do agree that if you receive medical services while in Spain that you should pay, however, I do not understand why a second bill was sent (also in Spanish). Oh... and the doctor that treated me did not speak English... nor did I speak Spanish (note to self... learn Spanish before my next Camino!).Which Camino were you on?
The medical care to pilgrims is rumored to be nearly gratis along Frances.
But it's regular charges on Norte.
BTW... I did have travel insurance which covered my expensesI walked the Frances in March last year and had to seek medical services. I was charged $289 Euro at the hospital and then received another bill the beginning of this year for $189 Euro - no gratis offered. I do agree that if you receive medical services while in Spain that you should pay, however, I do not understand why a second bill was sent (also in Spanish). Oh... and the doctor that treated me did not speak English... nor did I speak Spanish (note to self... learn Spanish before my next Camino!).
Good luck!
.... The medical care to pilgrims is rumored to be nearly gratis along Frances....
But it's regular charges on Norte.
Luckily I'm European. In one of my Camino walks I had to get medical treatment. This was made simple because I had taken out European cover which incidentally is free and you can get it done over the Internet....
I had a similar experience and the bill reached Australia more than a year later. Contact your travel insurer for the period of your camino. When I did that they simply charged me the excess and dealt with it from there.I did the Camino de Santiago in May of 2015 and had to go to a clinic near Tricastela for a hurt ankle. I spent maybe 20 minutes with a doctor there who told me to go to the Pharmacia and get anti inflammatory medicine, a brace and Ibuprofen. Just a week ago I received a bill for $260.00 - 2 years later. They did take my insurance information when I was there and did not ask for me to pay anything. The bill is accompanied by a notice that is in Spanish and I cannot read it.
How should I handle this? thanks so much for any help
Both statements are not true. Just imagine the amount of money this kind of free health care would cost with close to 300,000 pilgrims on the road each year.
What you are referring to is the reciprocal health care citizens of the EU receive in other EU countries, but it does NOT cover things like getting you home and it certainly isn't free - you pay for it by paying your regular health insurance at home.
Buen Camino, SY
What? A scam? Who, what, where, why?
Many will to receive their hospital bill from Spain a long time afger they got back home.
Not a scam.
Well, if we are each going based on our single personal experience, I could be tempted to say you have been scammed since I was never charged for any health care, and because I doubt very much the authorities have decided on "pilgrim rates" vs other tourists' rates.This really sounds like a scam. I went to the emergency room in Leon this past July (based on advice for this forum - thank you!!!!) and was required to pay the 110 euro bill before I left the emergency room. They explained that 110Euros was the "pilgrim price" and it covered all the necessary services including x-ray, anti-inflammatory cream, prescription for pain pills, walking advice and a delightful conversation with the doctor. All in all it was a great experience.
You might have a different perspective if you had some sense of the historical development of this as a general discussion on the forum. Your recent experience is a relatively new development. Just a year ago in Burgos, it was necessary to ask for an account, and it only possible to pay it in cash. Before that it was not uncommon for forum members to find themselves waiting months for an account and only being given the option to pay it by expensive international bank transfers. I think you should be grateful that the hospital you attended has found a way of easing the administrative burden, and not subjected you to a two year wait and a range of charges to make the payment.This really sounds like a scam.
Here at home we are just starting to see some fees for which a person can be charged for. Before this, any admin person would have been
Which does not mean one should expect not to pay, or for payment request, even afwe the fact, to be a scam.
Well, two people used the word scam to describe the bill received by the OP, and I only observed that this may be the product of the system you both live in, a system where money must exchange hands for medical service to be given. And I understand very well it is not a system you have chosen, just that it may explain the reaction.Anemone, I think it unfair that you are saying that a few of us, me included, are "screaming scam" about an overly long delayed medical billing.
Moreover, many of us live without universal health care and that is a political situation of which one individual has no control.
It is easy to see that everyone has different results when requiring medical treatment. On the VdlP last year my partner received free medical treatment from a Local GP who gave excellent advice and attention to his injury. Her reply when we questioned how much we needed to pay was "it is too complicated and I do not charge Pilgrims or Australians. Grateful ++.
Hi, looks like you are from the States and therefore being a non-European citizen have to pay for any treatment received. If you convert that amount in dollars down to €Euros that sounds reasonable enough to me! Time is not on your side to help you claim back same.I did the Camino de Santiago in May of 2015 and had to go to a clinic near Tricastela for a hurt ankle. I spent maybe 20 minutes with a doctor there who told me to go to the Pharmacia and get anti inflammatory medicine, a brace and Ibuprofen. Just a week ago I received a bill for $260.00 - 2 years later. They did take my insurance information when I was there and did not ask for me to pay anything. The bill is accompanied by a notice that is in Spanish and I cannot read it.
How should I handle this? thanks so much for any help
Sorry but this is not corrrct. You are splitting hairs. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding. It is free in the sense that I did not have to pay ANYTHINGf for my medical treatment in Spain. Of course I pay my regular health contributions so would, for example an Americano. But I bet they do not get the 'free service' that I, as a European received. They have to pay extra via insurance cover. I do not have to pay anything over and above what my standard contributions are in France where I live. That is so obvious that I didn't think it needed spelling out. Also, I have an ordinary Visa card. If I pay for an airfare to Spain using my card, then I can be repatriated FREE back to France. Most standard European VISA cards allow this. MOST MEANS NOT ALL. You would need to check this out. Please, let's not confuse the issue. To make it simple I will restate that for any European travelling to Spain they do not need to pay anything extra for health cover if they have a European health card which you can get FREE over the Internet.Both statements are not true. Just imagine the amount of money this kind of free health care would cost with close to 300,000 pilgrims on the road each year.
What you are referring to is the reciprocal health care citizens of the EU receive in other EU countries, but it does NOT cover things like getting you home and it certainly isn't free - you pay for it by paying your regular health insurance at home.
Buen Camino, SY
Sorry, but this is wrong. Citizenship in an EU country does not grant you free medical care. You need to be a resident.To make it simple I will restate that for any European travelling to Spain they do not need to pay anything extra for health cover if they have a European health card which you can get FREE over the Internet.
I'd like to respond but I really have no idea to what part of my comment you are referring too nor what you're trying to clarify. A European is a European who can only get free European health cover if they are contributing basic health cover in the European country that they are living in i e. Resident. It's pretty obvious they have to be resident. Why all this splitting of hairs? Look at the internet site. It's all there and very clear as to who can apply for a card. Surely anyone who thinks they qualify can simply go on site and follow the step by step idiot proof instructions. If they don't qualify computer says no. If they qualify your covered.Sorry, but this is wrong. Citizenship in an EU country does not grant you free medical care. You need to be a resident.
It's not splitting hairs: it's giving people accurate information. Without having to log on to try to get a health card/number.I'd like to respond but I really have no idea to what part of my comment you are referring too nor what you're trying to clarify. A European is a European who can only get free European health cover if they are contributing basic health cover in the European country that they are living in i e. Resident. It's pretty obvious they have to be resident. Why all this splitting of hairs? Look at the internet site. It's all there and very clear as to who can apply for a card. Surely anyone who thinks they qualify can simply go on site and follow the step by step idiot proof instructions. If they don't qualify computer says no. If they qualify your covered.
Thanks for the explanation. It seems I assume people are reasonably intelligent. Perhaps I shouldn't assume that. Favours or no favours if people think they are entitled to a card I hope they have the intelligence to apply. But then again, I shouldn't be presumptuous .It's not splitting hairs: it's giving people accurate information. Without having to log on to try to get a health card/number.
You stated you get free care because you are European. That is not the case. You got free care because you are a European resident.
There are many people around the world who are EU citizens, but not residents, and telling them you got free care because you are European is not doing them a favour.
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