How To Get Medical Provision With Your Health Insurance

Travelling to foreign countries can often be a great adventure – one that explores language,culture and food. But before setting out the traveller should take special care to  ensure that they are covered by adequate insurance to cover any eventualities that might be encountered. 

Several companies provide help for about foreign healthcare systems for tourists, expats  and Study Abroad Programs. However, more and more hospitals like HM hospitals Group and Spanish doctors have been able to understand and listen to what are the difficulties and needs of travellers, expats and students who come to Spain for first time. HM hospitals group, not only provides quality healthcare to the international community through our specific and personalized international department like the one at the University Hospital of Madrid,  which has incorporated emergency services admissions since 2012.

These “departments” offer highly qualified doctors as well as translators with expertise in how to deal with international insurances companies. Travellers are oftern surprised when they arrived to one of our Hospitals and don’t have to pay for the medical service or they just have to pay for a co-payments or any other payment according to the policy of the insurance, but our staff manage all that paper work for the patient.

Our staff are in direct contact with the insurance companies. Depending on the coverage of the insurance the international department will offer the patient a wide range of medical services.

What types of medical insurances companies are or you could have?

• Travel insurances, normally with low coverage just for emergencies and no routine check ups.
• Private medical insurance from you own country, currently more and more insurances, like BUPA, CIGNA, GEOBLUE, BCBS, AETNA, UNITED Health Care international, CISI, etc became more international and they let  you go to some Spanish Hospitals without charge.
• Credit cards, like AMEX, VISA, also includes travel insurances if you buy the flight ticket with it.
• Spanish Insurance Companies, more and more spanish insurances try to be part of the international insurance sector,  but  currently some time is difficult  to receive a proper international service specially when  there is a language barrier. Advantage? , you can access a wider  hospital network. Disadvantage ? the healthcare provider gets paid less through spanish insurance than international insurance which can have a knock on effect on the service you receive.

In general  the Spanish  health care system  is  now ranking the 3th  of the world  in efficient according to Bloomberg 2018. ( https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2018/09/30/spanish-healthcare-system-is-the-most-efficient-in-europe/ )

• Corporate medical insurance companies, more  of  the expat community working or studying in Spain  get  an international insurance by the company or institution  with  a great coverage. Any doubt about how  to use  it in Hm  hospital  we can help you with that,

• Social security card, or European health care, for European citizens,  you need to apply for it before travelling and is  not a private medical insurance  works  mostly as  a travel medical insurance  so for emergency and accidents. ( https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=559)

Private hospitals in Spain are not as expensive as in the US or even other European Countries however, HM Hospitals and others are not only to give you an appointment as well as  assist you in an  emergency also to show you how insurance operates.

All private insurance companies need to see that the Hospital is a GOP ( Guarantee of Payment) compliant. HM Hospitals can assist in this.

Javier Casquero Lara, as Managing Director of the international department in HM group, says that “its always good to have international medical insurance to allow you not only get medical service in Spain but also when you travel around Europe or further afield”.  International study programs, international companies, embassies, and other corporations, all  benefit from such Third Party agreements between hospitals like Hm hospitals and international insurances because its clients will be receiving high quality healthcare, which will then boost their corporate reputation.

Ultimately, therefore, the foreign patient in Spain, stands to receive quality healthcare at a private Spanish hospital at a reasonable price. With  Spain reaching new peaks in foreign healthcare provision in acquiring an open global mentality. Rather than taking advantage of the unwary traveller, traditional Spanish hospitality seeks to welcome foreigners with the country’s proverbial sunny weather and affordable healthy bodies.

For  any queries or further information  please contact us: international@hmhospitales.com