Confusion Over Expat Healthcare In Spain Still Reigns Supreme

British expats with legal residency in Spain are still monumentally confused over their rights to continuing free healthcare.

Whilst the vast majority of British expats who’ve used the Spanish healthcare system continue to praise it for price, professional expertise and high standards of care, many are still unsure about their entitlement in the future. Unsurprisingly, given the total confusion prevailing in the British parliament, mixed messages are the order of the day, and the endgame in this horrifying situation is anyone’s guess. At the present time, it’s all about political parties, with any other considerations left out in the cold.

To date, the British government has only guaranteed the continuation of free healthcare coverage for British expats until the end of 2020 should a no-deal Brexit be the final outcome. However, Spanish president Ximo Puig recently stated a newly ratified law enshrines British expats’ healthcare rights regardless of what type of deal presages Britain’s exit from the EU. The reality at the present moment is that Brits in Spain may access its healthcare until the end of December 2020, but only if an agreement is made with the EU nation itself.

It also seems that, should a deal be reached and an orderly exit from the EU takes place, current laws covering British expats in Spain will ensure their right to free healthcare. Another announcement by President Puig stated Brit expats living in the Valencia region will not lose access to free healthcare whichever way Brexit ends. Unfortunately, with the ongoing chaos in the British parliament and the possibility that no sensible solutions will be found, recognised or acted upon, it’s still anyone’s guess as to what will be the final result of the last three years’ wrangling and politicising.