BRUSSELS is threatening to take Spain to the European Court if it doesn’t give foreign pensioners better healthcare.

The European Commission (EC) claims Spain is failing to comply with legislation on social security rights by refusing to give free healthcare to pensioners from other EU countries.

Medication

Under the legislation, pensioners staying in Spain as temporary residents, or on holiday, have the right to free healthcare on presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

Spain currently gives free medication to pensioners insured here, but other EU pensioners must provide an additional document proving they have a state pension back home.

To make matters more complicated it must be in Spanish.

The EC says this is creating unnecessary bureaucracy and it has given Spain two months to respond to the matter appropriately.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Spain needs to have all of its EU funding stopped promptly, and then hopefully they will start to comply. Spain is always last to implement EU directives. The place is backward and run like a third-world country.

    Thank goodness Brussels is now taking action on land grab and health issues.

  2. Thing is, it’s true. You just want to live in ignorance…

    If Spain is so great implementing EU directives, why is action being taken against on Health Care and on Land Grab? This very website has covered the disgraceful behaviour of Spain with respect to both of these issues, so what are you defending exactly?

    Wake up.

  3. on a visit to england i took my mother in law to the doctor who told me she had around 6 months to live. I brought her to spain to care for her and took her to university hospital. She died in October 2 days after her 93rd birthday.9 years after she came to live here . The help and kindness we had in that time was wonderful. Thank god for the spanish health care.

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