Paying a hospital bill..

[Miki Goldie]

Hello Camino brothers and sisters,

Two years ago (2017 Octoberr) while walking on the C. Francis with my son, my knee twisted on the Roman Road and I had to hobble into Astorga two days later. I was treated very kindly by a hosperterio and a taxi was called to take me to the hospital where I was "looked" at by a doctor. I never walked properly for the following 6_8 weeks so my camino was over. I was not x-rayed, and was sent home to the albergue where I was bitten all night by bed bugs(as was mostly everyone else). Just to add to my misery, and I
So I was sent a bill for €73,75 but cannot see where to send it to. It's all in Spanish. I'll be in Santiago in June......
My question: where or how do I pay this bill.?
Love

 

[OTH86]

I had a similar situation a few years ago, and a year later when I returned to the Camino, I went in to a biggish bank, showed them the bill, and they gave me directions to another bank, where I paid the bill, they gave me a receipt, and off I went!
Since then I've been more comfortable using the Spanish health system, and ask for a bill before leaving. (I don't speak Spanish very well.) They give me the same sort of bill, tell me which bank to take it to, and it gets paid - before I leave Spain. Easy peasy... ;-) Good luck!!

 

[Miki Goldie]

I had a similar situation a few years ago, and a year later when I returned to the Camino, I went in to a biggish bank, showed them the bill, and they gave me directions to another bank, where I paid the bill, they gave me a receipt, and off I went!
Since then I've been more comfortable using the Spanish health system, and ask for a bill before leaving. (I don't speak Spanish very well.) They give me the same sort of bill, tell me which bank to take it to, and it gets paid - before I leave Spain. Easy peasy... ;-) Good luck!!

Thanks, just hoping I can enter the country.... having this overdue bill. Even my Spanish friend here in Australia, couldn't suggest a solution, so I'll try a bank on arrival.

Love

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola @Miki Goldie . At some point there should be an account number (and probably a Bank - BSB) or maybe a BillPay Number. Have you tried google chrome translation to see what it actually says??
When I attended the University Hospital in Salamanca in 2013 - they handed me the account as I finished my treatment. I had the option of paying cash or via the BSB/Account details supplied at the bottom of the invoice. I paid in cash later that day. Cheers

 

[Roland49]

Thanks, just hoping I can enter the country.... having this overdue bill. Even my Spanish friend here in Australia, couldn't suggest a solution, so I'll try a bank on arrival.

If you get hold of a bank account, just go to your bank. An international transfer of money can be expensive.

I think you will not get interrupted in entering the Schengen-Zone due to an overdue bill of €75.

If you got a travel-insurance you can try to give the bill to them. I pay 12 something € this year for my travel healthcare-insurance and they pay all foreign medical-bills I may produce on my camino.
If you got healthcare-insured via a mandantory system, you try to solve this issue over your healthcare-insurance. Many countries established bi- or multilateral social- / healthcare-contracts.

Buen Camino!
Roland

 

[Miki Goldie]

Maybe too late for my insurance policy as it was 2017, and I tried my bank here in the Gold Coast with no success.even talked to a Spanish speaker....anyway....
Love

 

[ivar]

The first 4 numbers in the bank account indicates the bank where they have an account. Just go to a branch (once in Spain) of that bank and pay it there.

If you let me know the first 4 digits of the bank account number I can look it up if you are not sure how. It might start with "ES 1234 ..."

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Thanks, just hoping I can enter the country.... having this overdue bill. (...)

From how I understand our European system, the databases at immigration will have no information on your overdue bill. Simply for reasons of data protection and privacy.
Given the size of said bill, there will be no national or international warrant either ...

Hence you will be fine.

 

[Kathar1na]

@Miki Goldie, Western Union has not been mentioned yet. I went to their Australian website. It looks like it will cost you a transfer fee of 5.00 AUD when you send 73.75 € to the hospital in Spain. You can pay online or at a WU office. By credit card. I didn't check the exchange rate they use but read their footnote.

You will need to provide the details of the hospital's bank account. They are on their letter or invoice and they are already in international format. In this way, the invoice is settled promptly and the hospital doesn't have to send you a reminder ...

 

[Miki Goldie]

From how I understand our European system, the databases at immigration will have no information on your overdue bill. Simply for reasons of data protection and privacy.
Given the size of said bill, there will be no national or international warrant either ...

Hence you will be fine.

Hola
I've had a few Interpol dreams....so that's reassuring..
I see IBAN - ES 57 0182 33140102 0151 7748
SWIFT - BBVAESMMXXX
There's: Banco BBVA Direction Avda. Bordladores, 35....Leon
So I could visit that banco in Santiago with my bill....
I have a thing about paying my bills on time but I'm overdue on this one since 13/09/17....whoopsie
Love

 

[Kathar1na]

I see IBAN - ES 57 0182 33140102 0151 7748
SWIFT - BBVAESMMXXX

These two numbers are all you need in the way of bank account details of the recipient for an electronic transfer if that's what one wants to do. Usually one also has to fill in the address of the recipient.

I had added a comment about the long delay between treatment and issuing of the invoice in my earlier message but then I deleted it as irrelevant. You are not the first person to receive a hospital bill from Spain so late. I wondered whether there had been some kind of audit and stricter implementation of policy.

 

[Miki Goldie]

These two numbers are all you need in the way of bank account details of the recipient for an electronic transfer if that's what one wants to do. Usually one also has to fill in the address of the recipient.

I had added a comment about the long delay between treatment and issuing of the invoice in my earlier message but then I deleted it as irrelevant. You are not the first person to receive a hospital bill from Spain so late. I wondered whether there had been some kind of audit and stricter implementation of policy.

No not too late ,this is my yearly reminder, so I'm to blame as I've had two now. I've decided to hand it to a Spanish bank in Santiago. Thanks for your help. A little worried the money may disappear if I send money electronically, plus there's the Australian conversion math ??
Love

 

[ivar]

Hola
I've had a few Interpol dreams....so that's reassuring..
I see IBAN - ES 57 0182 33140102 0151 7748
SWIFT - BBVAESMMXXX
There's: Banco BBVA Direction Avda. Bordladores, 35....Leon
So I could visit that banco in Santiago with my bill....
I have a thing about paying my bills on time but I'm overdue on this one since 13/09/17....whoopsie
Love

So just go to a BBVA (use google maps) and you should be able to pay it there

 

[OTH86]

Thanks, just hoping I can enter the country.... having this overdue bill. Even my Spanish friend here in Australia, couldn't suggest a solution, so I'll try a bank on arrival.

Love

Well, Miki - I was able to enter Spain with no hassle even tho I had had an outstanding bill (about US$ 50.00) for almost a year, and then paid the bill. the transaction fee to do a bank transfer was almost the same as the bill - If I'd not expected to return to Spain, I would have paid the bank fee and paid the bill - but I KNEW I was returning to the Camino!! Good luck, and think positively!

 

[Kathar1na]

No not too late ,this is my yearly reminder, so I'm to blame as I've had two now. I've decided to hand it to a Spanish bank in Santiago. Thanks for your help. A little worried the money may disappear if I send money electronically, plus there's the Australian conversion math ??

My heart goes out to the Spanish health care service and their patience and faith in their international clients ... ... but you have a realistic payment plan now and that's good.

I don't share your worries about electronic money transfer. You are talking to someone who lives and works in EU countries where paper cheques for everyday transactions like paying hospital bills and other invoices were abolished more than 15 years ago and I don't think I have set foot into the branch of a bank in the last 15 months. And unlike elsewhere, doctors and hospitals are often not able to accept payment by credit card in our parts of the world. So electronic bank transfer it is.

The transaction fee to do a bank transfer was almost the same as the bill

Yes, this kind of international bank transfers can come with a surprising amount of extra charges. I don't know how Western Union fees and currency rates compare. They are a well established financial services company with a global presence and I think they might be a good solution for others who are reading this thread and are in similar situations.

In my part of the world, WU is mainly used by working migrants or residents with migration background to transfer money electronically to their families in countries that are not part of the EU. The company was established in 1851 .

 

[naplesdon]

With the IBAN and Swift Code any bank in the world should be able to handle this payment for you. You could even do it from the comfort of home on your computer.

 

[Eckart.S]

Have a look at transferwise.com . With this System you can send money directly from your Credit card to any Account with a SWIFT code. And it is cheap, probably about 2$.

 

[Roland49]

If you pay cash into a non self-owned bank-account in europe you have to be aware, that they will charge you an extra up to 10€ in Germany ("handling fee" they call it, I call it robbery). In Spain it could be worse.

But you could try to e-mail the hospital and wish to charge your credit-card with the bill. As far as I know, most of the german hospitals can do this. Spanish hospitals maybe also.

Best luck and Buen Camino!
Roland

 

[Kathar1na]

If you pay cash into a non self-owned bank-account in europe you have to be aware, that they will charge you an extra up to 10€ in Germany ("handling fee" they call it, I call it robbery). In Spain it could be worse.

I don't know about Spain but it is definitely not unusual in Europe that we now have to pay a fee if we want a human person to spend their time handling a transaction as simple as handing over our cash to a bank or getting cash from a bank, even when you are a customer of that bank, and worse if you are not. It's cheaper to do it all just by yourself.

That's perhaps why the Spanish BBVA bank where the hospital in question has their account has put instructions in English on their website on "how to deposit money at an ATM of the BBVA network into the account of another account holder", "regardless of whether you are a BBVA customer or not".

The good thing is, of course, that you don't have to do this during the bank's opening hours and you don't have to wait in a long queue of people before it's your turn.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

But you could try to e-mail the hospital and wish to charge your credit-card with the bill.

I suppose you can try but a couple of years ago that wasn't allowed by SACYL, the health department of Castile and Leon. I do wish they would allow it, even with a surcharge.

 

[t2andreo]

GET A RECEIPT for your payments.

This way, and in the unlikely event a question comes up at passport control, you can prove you paid the bill.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

May 6/18, I was hospitalized in Paris. When they were done with me, I asked for a bill and the Doctor said, "No Bill." I thanked them deeply and left. Six months later, a bill came to me in Canada for €155. Being completely in French, I did type in the French on Google Translate and figured out what I needed to know to pay it online through my Debit account. I found this to be the least expensive way to do it. My Bank applied a 1/2% fee to the exchange. Not too bad.

 

[t2andreo]

I always pay these bills. By US standards, they are very reasonable. The medical relief far outweighs the nominal cost.

Plus, I try to avoid the “deadbeat” label, applied to me or other foreigners in the EU.

 

[Ralph Ayling]

You can pay it by bank transfer from your Australian bank with the IBAN and Swift code. There will probably be a reference as well. The transfer can be paid in euros so you don't have to do a conversion. It would be advisable to get a Spanish speaker to help in identifying the necessary info.

 

[Dennis52]

Hello Camino brothers and sisters,

Two years ago (2017 Octoberr) while walking on the C. Francis with my son, my knee twisted on the Roman Road and I had to hobble into Astorga two days later. I was treated very kindly by a hosperterio and a taxi was called to take me to the hospital where I was "looked" at by a doctor. I never walked properly for the following 6_8 weeks so my camino was over. I was not x-rayed, and was sent home to the albergue where I was bitten all night by bed bugs(as was mostly everyone else). Just to add to my misery, and I
So I was sent a bill for €73,75 but cannot see where to send it to. It's all in Spanish. I'll be in Santiago in June......
My question: where or how do I pay this bill.?
Love

I was at the hospital in Spain as well.
They wouldn’t let me pay and when I arrived home I received a bill, 110€.
My niece translated and she thought the bill was written off and they are just showing me the coats.
I actually sent a payment and my travel insurance covered it.