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New Healthcare Access for Immigrants in Spain

Immigrants in Spain at last have good news back to back this year. As per a new initiative of the Spanish government of 14 May, immigrants will have access to healthcare systems including undocumented migrants.

According to the new rules (review of Law 16/2003), foreigners who are in Spain through family reunification, asylum seeker, and temporary protection status all will benefit from this decision. Undocumented or irregular migrants have also been allowed to be eligible for the healthcare system.

The new measures will need to go through weeks to be implemented once it is a part of the official journal of the Kingdom of Spain.

In certain areas of Spain, consulting a medical practitioner could take up to weeks and months for undocumented migrants till now. This is because they have to request and obtain approval from social services, to prove their desire to reside in Spain. According to the new healthcare reforms, undocumented migrants will simply have to present their health worker with a signed declaration and they will be able to access the healthcare system free of charge. In some cases, however, they may have to pay an amount.

The Spanish government is also working on the matter of regulating undocumented migrants. The biggest news of the year comes out for the 400,000 undocumented migrants in Spain where the parliament (Congreso de los diputados) has decided to consider regularising them through residence permits. 

Explanation of the healthcare regulations

The legislative proposal expands the right to health care of people with Spanish nationality who reside abroad, temporarily displaced to Spanish territory, and to their family members accompanying them when such coverage was not provided for by the regulations. community agreements or bilateral agreements that cover the provision of health care.

The rights to health protection and health care are also extended to ascendants grouped by a daughter or son who has the right to health care in the National Health System when they are in their care and as long as there is no third party.

In addition, they will have the right to health protection and health care under the same conditions as the holders of the right during their stay in Spain:

  • people applying for international protection;
  • applicants and beneficiaries of temporary protection;
  • victims of human trafficking whose temporary stay in Spain has been authorized during the restoration and reflection period; and
  • undocumented residents in Spain.

The inclusion and membership in the common portfolio of SNS services of benefits that improve health from a population perspective is clarified and, within the provision of specialized care, precision, personalized, predictive, participatory, and population-based medicine is specified. This is focused on the characteristics of each patient to adapt the diagnosis and therapeutic or preventive measures in a more effective and more personalized way.

Regarding pharmaceutical benefits, all the aforementioned groups are incorporated into the system so that they do not have to pay 100% of the medications.