Private Health Insurance for Americans in Spain

Private health insurance is popular with Americans in Spain because it offers quick appointments, access to private hospitals and clinics, and English-speaking support. But "private health insurance" covers several different plan types, and the one that is right for you depends on how you like to use healthcare and what you want to pay.

This page focuses on the product itself: the main plan types, what they include, and how copayments, cover levels and underwriting work. If you want the wider context — using cover day to day as a resident, moving to Spain, or a visa application — we link to the right page as we go.

Whichever plan type you choose, insurers underwrite each application individually, and how they treat pre-existing conditions affects your cover and price. Always declare known conditions and current medication honestly when you apply.

Depending on the insurer, a condition may be covered, subject to specific terms, or excluded, and some plans apply waiting periods before certain treatments (such as maternity or surgery) are covered. Acceptance and terms always rest with the insurer, so we cannot promise a particular outcome — but we can help you present your situation clearly and compare insurers more likely to consider it.

Spanish private health insurance is built around care in Spain and generally costs far less than US cover, but it works differently. Most plans use an insurer network of doctors and hospitals, premiums are based mainly on age and cover level, and there is no direct equivalent to a US deductible — instead you have the copayment or no-copayment structure described above.

Importantly, your US insurance and Medicare generally will not cover you in Spain, so a Spanish policy is usually your day-to-day cover here. For what does and does not carry over from the US, see our Medicare and health insurance in Spain for Americans page.