Private Health Insurance - Frequently Asked Questions
Q. If I need to use the service many times, does my premium
increase the next year?
A. Your premium will not be loaded due to claims.
Q. If I take out a private health policy will I be covered if I suddenly get
Type 2 Diabetes? My mother had it and I understand it is possible that I could
get it in later life.
A. Yes. Provided you do not have it at the time you fill in the health
questionnaire then El Perpetuo Socorro’s health care policy will cover you
should you get diabetes at some time in the future. In fact El Perpetuo Socorro
differs from many other health care providers on the Costa Blanca in that they
will tell you right from the outset if there are any exclusions that will apply
to your policy. This saves the situation that many clients of other companies
have suffered where they find out only when they need treatment that a condition
isn’t covered.
Q. Does El Perpetuo Socorro give health cover for children? We have recently
moved to Torrevieja and I went to another company recently and they told me that
they could not insure a child. I found this very strange as I do not speak
Spanish and would like to be able to take my nine-year-old daughter to an
English-speaking doctor if she is ill. I am not so worried about myself but I’d
like to think I could go to a doctor I could understand in these circumstances.
A. Yes, El Perpetuo Socorro is amongst the few companies that will insure
individual children. Their policy is the same as for an adult and covers
hospitalisation as well as individual consultations and treatments. The company
also offers a family package where a discount is offered for each child.
Q. My husband and I have recently retired to a villa we have owned for some
years in Javea. We are very happy with our new life but we are a bit concerned
about health care and so have been looking at the various policies on offer. El
Perpetuo Socorro seems to offer a ‘no nonsense’ approach with a single policy
rather than loads of confusing offers with different premiums to pay depending
on the cover. One thing we are concerned about is whether we’d be able to get
cover when we visit our daughter who lives in France or our son back in the UK.
A. El Perpetuo Socorro’s policy will cover you whilst you are out of the country
for a period of 60 days. Your membership card includes a 24 hour emergency
number. When dialled you will obtain immediate medical advice and when necessary
a local doctor will be sent to you straight away, no matter where you are!
Expenses for emergency medical treatment are also included in the travel
insurance.
Q. I am a pensioner on a low income; if I cannot afford to pay the premium all
at once can I pay it in instalments?
A. Yes, El Perpetuo Socorro offers a payment plan to help spread the cost of
your health insurance.
Q. How does the health cover work? Can we go to any doctor or is there a list
and do we have to pay up front and claim it back?
A. El Perpetuo Socorro has a comprehensive list of health care providers that
they work with and this is presented in a booklet which will be given to you
when you take out the policy and is available at Millie’s offices for you to see
if you are thinking of taking out insurance. You do NOT have to pay up front;
you are issued with an electronic chip card, which is used when you have a
consultation with a health care professional. If you need to have any further
tests covered by the policy then Millie Munro’s office will obtain authority
from El Perpetuo Socorro for you to visit the relevant doctor or technician.
However another advantage of El Perpetuo Socorro, clients have the facility to
go direct to a specialist without being referred by a G.P this saves a lot of
time which is vital with health problems
Q. Does the policy cover eye tests?
A. Yes, eye tests are covered, just contact an ophthalmologist from our list and
make an appointment.
Q. In the UK, I started my policy in July so it ran annually from July to June,
is it the same in Spain?
A. NO…. In Spain all policies run from the 1st January to the 31st December. So
if you sign in July you will only have the policy to 31st of December and it
will automatically be renewed the following year.
Q. If I want to cancel my policy how much notice do I have to give.
A. Most insurance companies in Spain require 2 months notice to cancel which
must be given in writing by the end of October at the latest to cancel for the
following year.
If you would like information on El Perpetuo Socorro policies offered by Millie
Munro or the other services she specialises in then please call her on the
number below or visit her website at
www.milliemunro.com
