multiple sclerosis in spain

hi

my name is kevin i am 56 years old living in southampton england, this is my first posting on this site. my wife and i are gearing ourselves up to move to spain in the next 3 years. it might seem a bit premature to be asking questions this early but i am trying to gather as much info from people who have or know of anyone with multiple sclerosis who are living or lived in spain with MS.

my wife is 51 years old and has had MS for 10 years, it is stable, she is not in a wheelchair and can walk a small distance using me as her aid. can anyone advise me on what  health care is available by way of UK paid contributions, spanish social security and private insurance. also if you know of anyone what was there quality of life living there.

if theres any information that could be shared with me i would be really grateful for any thing that would assist.

kevin

Kevin, welcome to the site.

As I understand the rules because neither of you are of retirement age you would not qualify for healthcare on the Spanish system. (I am assuming that you don't plan to work and pay into the system) The only option would be to have private medical insurance. This may be extremely expensive because of your wife's M.S. You really need to check this out very carefully before the move. There is lots of  general advice on this site about healthcare in Spain.

I'm sorry but I don't know anything about living with MS in Spain.

G

Hi Kevin - I agree with Xetog that you can't get cover unless you pay into the system, but you may be entitled to up to the first two years' healthcare from the UK, depending on your UK contribution record.  There is also the possibility of paying contributions into the spanish system, which is not cheap but may be less expensive than private health insurance.  This depends on the area as each area sets its own rules.

The spanish healthcare system is excellent but they do not provide the kind of aftercare or homecare which you could expect in the UK.  You could try some of the english speaking charities (HELP or Paul Cunningham Nurses in my area) who would be able to tell you in more detail what it is like to live here with a condition like MS.  There is also information on the British Embassy website about health and they can also advise about which benefits you would be able to claim when living abroad.

Do let us know how you get on!