Before you move into your new European home, you’ll want to arrange health insurance. Here’s how to choose the plan for you and what you can expect to pay.
Seeking health insurance for your European adventure?
You’re ready to kickstart your European adventure. You might be keen to move into a chic apartment less than an hour from Paris, a villa walking distance from the sand along the Costa del Sol, a country cottage in Tuscany’s rolling hills. Wherever your dreams take you, there’s some admin to sort out so that the dream can happen smoothly. And one of those bits of admin is health insurance. So, if your back starts to ache after doing some handiwork in your Tuscan cottage or you hurt your ankle strutting around Paris, you know that you’ll be looked after. So, here is a guide to sorting out health insurance for your European adventure.
Short trips
As a UK citizen, you are eligible for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which covers medically necessary trips in state-run trips during the EU. Furthermore, while not required by law, it is strongly encouraged that you get travel insurance for any trip to Europe.
If you are going to be staying in Europe for longer than a holiday but are not making a permanent move there, then you might be interested in a GlobeHopper International Private Medical Plan. Provided by ALC Health and their parent company International Medical Group (IMG), this plan is designed for short-term stays. Since Brexit, Britons can only stay in Europe for 90 days out of every 180. This visa can cover that period of time. It is renewable to up to twenty-four months. Find out more here.
Health insurance has become a must-have for certain long-term visas
Even if you are someone who never catches a cold and think that you could save some money by skipping health insurance, you’ll find that it has become part of the criteria for many European long-term visas.
For example, in Spain, health insurance is a requirement of the hugely popular golden visa, digital nomad visa and the non-lucrative visa.
Meanwhile, in France, after three months, you can apply to be covered by the country’s universal healthcare system and receive your ‘carte vitale’. But health insurance will still be essential in the interim.
Furthermore, you may find universal healthcare coverage restricted in certain countries. Private health insurance may suit your needs better while ensuring that you always have access to top quality healthcare.
Long-term health insurance plans
With a health insurance plan, you can feel confident that you’ll have access to high quality healthcare in your new country.
ALC offer a range of plans from Bronze through to Platinum. Their Bronze plan, which does not cover pre-existing health conditions, has an overall policy limit of €1,000,000. While their platinum plan covers €5,000,000. The plan that you choose is relative to you and your family’s needs, with a range of medical treatments covered. Although, with some visas, there will be a minimum amount of coverage you need to qualify. A popular choice is the Bronze+ Plan. Typically, for a 50-year-old based in Spain this would cost £272 per month. In France, £262. Plus, you can adapt your plan to include routine dentistry and maternity. To see the plans in more detail, click here.
Key takeaways:
- You can select from ALC’s network of medical providers or choose your own.
- If you feel that you would rather seek medical care privately in the UK, the plan covers that. You will be able to visit top quality hospitals in London or the rest of the UK. However, you will still have to pay your own travelling costs.
- Emergencies are covered.
- Children are covered up to the age of 25.
- 24/7 medical helpline for claims information, emergency assistance and advice on treatment. The team is multilingual, which can be vital if you are in an emergency and are struggling with communicating your needs.
- No age limits and life renewal. However, if you are over 75, then there you will need full medical underwriting only.
- Mental health is covered too. Hopefully, you adore your new life in Europe. But the transition can be challenging. Whether you’re struggling with a new language, job, making friends or homesickness. But if you need to turn to a medical professional to help you, your plan will cover that.
For more useful contacts for your buying journey, head to our experts page.
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